Life's Unexpected Journey
by MysticManhattan
Summary: AU. Caroline knows how her life is going to turn out. She's going to have a job that she loves, and have a man that loves her: Tyler. But what happens when she meets a stranger on the beach, Tyler starts acting completely different, and her life starts to become something she never expected it would? Klaroline. Everyone is human!
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone! Thank you for reading! This is an AU fic. Everyone is human. Also, Caroline will be with Tyler at first, but if you like Tyler, I suggest you don't read this story. Elena, Damon, Jeremy, Bonnie, and Matt (and possibly some other Originals) will make their appearances at times, but this is a Klaroline fic. Elena is with Damon, and Bonnie is with Jeremy.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries or any of the characters.**

It was the summer after her college graduation when she saw him for the first time. She was intrigued by him, and she hadn't even spoken a single word to him. But that smirk, the way he stood, and his style showed his confidence. _Caroline, just focus on the party_, she thought to herself, _Tyler is waiting for you at home in Mystic Falls._

Caroline was at a party that one of her good friends, Elena, was throwing. The party was a celebration of the fact that they were finally done with school forever! Now it was on to real life… and getting a job. She didn't know how great that really was, but she was excited to start the rest of her life.

"Hey Care," Matt called as he walked up to her, the bonfire blazing behind him.

She smiled. "Hey Matt!" Matt had been a close friend since they started Elementary School. Caroline realized in that moment how lucky she was to have friends from home that went to college with her, Bonnie included. She wouldn't want to be celebrating with any other people right now.

"Why are you over here by yourself?" Matt asked when he came to a stop beside Caroline.

"I was just thinking," Caroline told him. "Can you believe we are done with college, Matt? I mean we finally finished! It seems so unreal." Caroline had to restrain herself from jumping up and down and clapping.

"No, I can't believe it either," he admitted, but he noticed that Caroline was looking off in an entirely different direction from where he was standing. "What are you looking at?" He asked as he looked off in the direction of her gaze.

She thought about acting like she was just staring at the bonfire, but she was just too curious. "Who's that guy over there? I've never seen him before." And as if he had heard her, the mystery man looked straight at her. When he noticed that she was looking at him, that confident smirk plastered itself on his face again.

Matt started speaking, so Caroline tried to focus on him. "That's Niklaus, but he goes by Klaus. He's a jerk, Care. Don't get any ideas." Matt, always the protective one.

Caroline laughed at the thought. "Ideas? Matt, please. Just the smirk on his face shows me that he thinks he's the best thing that ever walked the Earth. You have nothing to worry about!" She laid her hand on his shoulder as a sign of reassurance, but inside she was still intrigued.

Before Matt could say anything else Elena, Bonnie, Damon, and Jeremy walked up. Elena and Damon had been dating since high school, and Jeremy and Bonnie started dating as soon as Jeremy joined the group at college. Jeremy was Elena's little brother, but they all got used to the idea of him dating Bonnie when they saw how happy the two made each other. Damon had his arm slung around Elena's shoulders, and Jeremy was holding Bonnie's hand, the boys obviously showing their protective sides.

"Having fun, Blondie?" Damon asked with his own signature smirk in place.

"Yes, Damon, I am. Thanks for asking," Caroline just ignored the nicknames and jokes that came from Damon. She had known him long enough to know that he wasn't being mean.

The friends all started chatting, but Caroline found that she couldn't keep her gaze from wandering over to Klaus every once in a while. Girls kept trying to talk to him, but he seemed bored with every one that walked up. As the group continued to chat, some random girl came up and started flirting with Matt.

_Oh great, now I'm the third wheel to everyone else… Well, make that the seventh wheel…_Caroline thought to herself as she rolled her eyes. At that point, she considered just sneaking away and calling it a night. Instead, she just separated herself from the group and went to grab a water bottle. They wouldn't notice anyway.

"Hey gorgeous," someone called behind her. Caroline turned around and saw some drunk guy that she had seen around campus. She rolled her eyes again…_this would be my luck_, she thought to herself. Instead of acknowledging him, she turned back around and headed for the water once more.

"I was talking to you!" He yelled at her before he grabbed her arm and spun her around. "It's rude not to respond." He was so close to her face that she could smell the alcohol on his breath.

"Let go of me!" She tried to yank her arm loose, but couldn't. She began to panic. She looked around, but her friends were too far off and too engrossed in whatever they were doing.

"I just want a little kiss," he said as he got closer and closer to her face. He had a terrible smile on his face.

She tried to push his chest, but he wasn't budging. She was about to scream when she heard an entirely different voice and felt the blood rushing back into her hand.

"I believe she said to let her go, mate," the other voice said with a British accent. It was more of a growl if she was being honest.

She looked at the man who saved her, and was even more intrigued than she was before. It was him… it was Klaus…

The drunk guy looked scared. "I was just messing around," he told Klaus, unable to get his arm away from Klaus' grip. The tables had obviously turned.

"Well I'm not. Stay away from her," Klaus stated through gritted teeth.

By now, every person at the party had turned to see what all of the commotion was about. Caroline was too shocked by Klaus' actions to say anything at all. When the drunk guy finally told Klaus that he would leave Caroline alone, Klaus released him. The guy tried to save whatever dignity he had left by walking away while glaring at Klaus.

"Are you okay, love?" Klaus turned to where Caroline was standing just behind him.

_Did he just call me love? In a British accent?! _Caroline thought to herself. She would totally be swooning if she didn't have a boyfriend at home. Klaus was staring at her, waiting for an answer. "Uh, um, yeah, I'm fine. Thanks," Caroline stammered out. She was too captivated by this man in front of her to notice her friends running up to her.

"Care, are you okay?!" Elena asked as Bonnie asked, "Are you hurt?"

Caroline could barely tear her eyes away from Klaus' gaze. She finally turned to the girls, "I'm fine. I'm not hurt," she told them.

"We got it from here," Caroline heard Matt almost snarl at Klaus. _Why was he acting like that? Klaus just saved her._ Klaus glared at Matt.

"Matt, don't," Caroline said, and then looked at Klaus. "Thank you again."

"It was my pleasure," Klaus smirked, turning his attention back to Caroline. "I'm sorry to say, I don't believe I ever caught your name?"

Caroline smiled, "It's Caroline."

"Well, it was nice to meet you Caroline," Klaus said, but then turned and started to walk away. Caroline felt a flutter in her stomach when she heard him say her name.

**I hope you liked it! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's a short update with a little more Klaus and Caroline interaction. Thank you to all of the people who have followed this story and reviewed! I did not realize that the title I originally had was already taken, so I went ahead and changed it! Thanks for the heads up to one of the reviewers :). I would like to ask you guys a question though. Would you rather me do fairly short updates and get them up quicker, or would you rather me post longer updates which may take some more time? Remember: If you like Tyler, you might not want to read this! He will just get worse to Caroline. Thank you again for reading!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Vampire Diaries, or any of the characters.**

Caroline, Elena, and Bonnie were all in their dorm room packing up. It was time to go back to Mystic Falls. It was almost bittersweet. She was leaving a huge chunk of her life behind at college, one that she was never really going to come back to. She didn't know what life had in store for her. She knew she wanted to put her interior decorating degree into use as quick as possible, and she knew that Tyler was waiting for her to come home. He had gone off to school in North Caroline, but he had already graduated and was back home. She was excited to see him since it had almost been three months since the last time they were together. They talked on the phone, but it wasn't the same.

"Are you guys ready to go?" Bonnie asked as she picked up her suitcase.

"Yeah," Elena and Caroline said in unison, also picking up their suitcases.

They took one last look around before they all left the room. Caroline closed the door behind her, and all three girls headed to the parking lot. Jeremy, Damon, and Matt were already waiting by the car. Jeremy had doubled up on his work load so he could graduate with the rest of them. The poor guy didn't even really take a break from school throughout the years, but in the end, he accomplished his goal.

Elena and Bonnie rushed out to the car to load up their bags. Caroline wanted to stop and look at the campus one more time, so she let them take her stuff to the car. She was really going to miss this place. They had a lot of good memories here. She sighed to herself.

"Well that doesn't sound like a very happy sigh, love." A British accent popped out of nowhere.

Caroline was startled. "You scared me!" She said as she turned to look at Klaus.

He smirked. "That wasn't my intention. But I stand by my statement."

"It's just weird to think that I won't be coming back here when summer is over," she admitted to him.

He could hear the sadness in her voice. "Ah, I see. But now you get to start a whole new chapter in your life. Everything will be brand new."

_Not everything_, she thought. She already knew what her life was going to be like… or so she thought. Instead of saying that to him, she decided to change the subject. "So where are you going for the summer?" She asked.

"I've thought about traveling the world, to be honest. However, I have decided to spend some time with my family in Virginia for the summer. After that, I have yet to decide," he told her.

"Oh, so you are finished too?" She asked.

"Yes." He stated. Then she realized what he had just said about his summer plans.

Was she being hopeful right now? "Wait! You said your family was in Virginia? Where in Virginia?" _Yes, Caroline, his family is going to be five miles from your house, and you will be able to see him whenever you want! Seriously?! Get a grip!_ She thought to herself. "I'm from Mystic Falls," she added.

"Oh, really?" Was that a twinkle she saw in his eye? "My family is actually only about 20 miles from Mystic Falls. Maybe we will run into each other." He smiled.

"Care! Your phone is ringing. It's Tyler!" Elena yelled from the car across the parking lot.

"I'll be right there!" Caroline yelled back, but then she turned back to Klaus. "I have to go. My friends are waiting, and my boyfriend is calling me." _Why was it so hard to get the word boyfriend out?_ She wondered. She had never had this problem the entire time she had been dating Tyler, and that had been about two years. She would never cheat on him; it was just weird having these feelings. She would rather stay and talk to Klaus. She could have sworn that disappointment showed on his face before he was able to hide it.

"Well, then I guess you better hurry along. You don't want to keep your boyfriend waiting." He said boyfriend like it left a bad taste in his mouth. "Hopefully I will see you around this summer."

"Yeah, I hope so too." Caroline smiled, and then walked to the waiting car filled with her friends.

"What was that about?" Matt asked. He obviously didn't like Caroline talking to Klaus. She wasn't a hundred percent sure if it was because he thought Klaus was a jerk, or if it was because Tyler was his best friend. Either way, there was nothing to worry about.

"Matt, would you relax. We were just talking." Caroline told him as she began calling Tyler back.

"Why didn't you answer your phone?" Tyler barked into the phone. Tyler had always been a little overprotective and at times a bit controlling. Caroline made herself believe that it was just because he cared about her so much.

"I'm sorry, Tyler. I was talking to someone and wasn't by my phone," she explained. Bonnie had a concerned look on her face. She always worried that at some point Tyler would become too angry and hurt Caroline. She didn't want to see her best friend get hurt, but there was no talking to Caroline. She was convinced that Tyler would never hurt her, and she would not even consider leaving him.

"Talking to who?" Tyler asked in an agitated tone.

"Just someone I met at school." Caroline tried to calm him down a bit. "He was just talking to me about where his family was from." She didn't really know how to explain their conversation. Was it a goodbye?

"He?" Tyler asked. "Have you met someone else, Caroline?" He sounded outraged.

Everyone in the car could hear his voice through the phone even though Caroline had it pressed to her ear. Caroline looked around the car at the different expressions on the people's faces. Bonnie still had a concerned look, and now Elena's mirrored Bonnie's. Matt looked like he was trying to ignore the whole conversation, and Damon's and Jeremy's faces were out of Caroline's view.

"What?! No!" Caroline almost yelled into the phone. "Tyler, don't be crazy! I've barely even talked to this guy. He's just an acquaintance. Please, calm down."

"Whatever, Caroline. We will talk about this when you get home." And with that, he hung up.

Caroline looked like she was going to cry, but she was trying to stay strong to keep from worrying her friends even more.

"Are you alright, Care?" Bonnie leaned over and whispered. Caroline couldn't speak or she knew she would start crying, so she just nodded. This time, she almost dreaded going home. Things were already beginning to change.

**One last thing! If you send a review asking me a question, I'm not sure how to respond to those yet, so you will probably get a PM from me answering if the site lets me! If that's a problem, please tell me in your review. Thank you! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi everyone! First off, I just want to thank everyone that has followed this story, followed me, reviewed, and favorited this story! You are all awesome! This is just a quick, short update, with no Klaus :(. I know, I know, but just stick with me! Keep in mind that Caroline is with Tyler right now, and she is determined to make it work, which means putting up with Tyler's anger at the moment. Tyler in this story is kind of similar to Tyler at the beginning of TVD with Vicky. Remember, if you like Tyler, you might not want to read this story! He's basically a jerk. If you see italics, 95% of the time that means it's someone's thoughts.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or any of its characters.**

When Damon pulled the car into Caroline's driveway, she was almost scared to get out of the car, and not many things scared Caroline. She had never felt that way with Tyler before, but the sound in his voice was different. He sounded mean. Her mom's car wasn't there. Of course she was at work when her only daughter comes home from college. There was a truck in the driveway though. It was Tyler's truck.

"I think I'm going to stay here with Caroline," Bonnie stated quickly. "Just until her mom gets home."

Caroline looked at her best friend. "Thanks Bonnie, but go home. Your family is probably waiting for you to get home. I'll be fine." She tried to smile as she squeezed Bonnie's hand. She needed her best friend to know that she was strong.

"If you need anything, call me. I mean it, Care." Bonnie gave Caroline a stern look that meant she was not kidding.

"I will," Caroline promised.

Matt got out of the car so he could take Caroline's bags in for her. If he was being completely honest, he was hoping to run into Tyler and calm him down a little bit.

Caroline had expected this whole reunion to be different. She was supposed to be excited to see Tyler. She was supposed to run into his open arms and give him the biggest hug in the world. He was supposed to kiss her and make her feel loved. Instead, she had no idea what to expect when she walked in the door. She let Matt go in first, using the excuse that he was carrying something heavy.

"Caroline?" They heard Tyler yell from the living room.

"Yeah, Tyler, it's me." Caroline called back. She heard Tyler's footsteps coming toward her location.

When Tyler rounded the corner he saw Matt standing there with Caroline's bags. He had had such an angry look on his face until he saw Matt that it confirmed Caroline's fears. He was different. She had never seen him so angry, especially at something that was no big deal whatsoever. She knew he talked to girls all the time when he was at college. That was a part of life. She might not have always liked him talking to other girls, but she trusted him, and she thought that he trusted her. His scowl turned into a smile when he saw Matt's face.

"Hey, man," Tyler said as he headed to give Matt a one armed hug. "How have you been? You're a college graduate now!" He slapped Matt on the back. "Congrats!"

Caroline realized at that moment that he had never told her congratulations. He had never sent her a card or even flowers. She drove to North Carolina to see him graduate. She chose not to walk across the stage when it was her turn to graduate, but he could have at least acknowledged her achievement.

"Thanks, I've been good. Just keeping an eye on this one," Matt joked as he pointed towards Caroline. Caroline could tell that Matt was trying to calm Tyler down, and to let him know that Caroline had not done anything wrong.

"Oh, then I'm sure you know this guy that she was talking to." Tyler looked at Caroline as if waiting for her to respond instead of Matt. _It didn't take long for him to bring that up, did it?_ thought Caroline.

"You mean that jerk, Klaus? Yeah, I know who he is. You don't have anything to worry about, though. Caroline doesn't want anything to do with him." Matt told Tyler. Caroline never said that, but she knew Matt was trying to make life better for her so she didn't say anything.

"Klaus? What kind of name is Klaus?" Tyler started to make fun of Klaus, but Caroline decided that she was going to use this time to excuse herself, and take her bags upstairs to her old room.

While she was unpacking, she heard the front door slam. She knew that meant that Matt had left, and her fear started to grow again. She started listening for footsteps on the stairs, and sure enough, she heard them almost immediately after Matt left. Her body started to tense because she didn't know what to expect.

Tyler stopped in Caroline's doorway. "You should get ready. My friend is having a party tonight, and I need my girlfriend to come and at least pretend to like me." Caroline knew that he was trying to make her feel bad. It was working.

"Why are you saying pretend, Tyler? You know that I love you!" Caroline stopped unpacking and was standing right in front of Tyler. She wanted to feel close to him. She wanted to know that he still cared, so she wrapped her arms around his torso and hugged him close.

He didn't move. He didn't wrap his arms around her. He didn't even tell her that he loved her back. "Well that's good to know. Now go get ready. We have to be there in a couple of hours, and you need to look pretty." He unwrapped her arms from around his body and turned and walked away. "I'll be in the living room watching television when you're ready." He yelled back at her.

Caroline couldn't stand it anymore. She hurriedly grabbed a green dress that Tyler had complimented her on before, and ran straight into the bathroom. She turned on the shower to cover the noise, and then she sat on the floor and cried. She cried until her tears seemed to run dry. She realized that she must have been crying a while, so she jumped in the shower, got dressed, and then covered her puffy eyes with make-up. She curled her hair and looked at herself in the mirror. Anyone that knew her well enough would know that she wasn't happy just by looking at her face. She almost started crying again when she realized it. _Was this what the rest of her life was going to be like? Would she always make Tyler so unhappy? She loved him, wasn't that enough? _

"Caroline, we have to go!" Tyler yelled from downstairs, which snapped Caroline out of her thoughts.

"I'm coming!" Caroline yelled back down. She took one last look at herself in the mirror, took a deep breath, and headed downstairs.

Tyler was already out in the truck waiting on her. _Such a gentleman_, she thought to herself. She grabbed her bag and walked out to his truck. When she got in the truck he glanced over at her.

"How do I look?" She smiled, knowing that he had liked the dress before.

"It'll do." He stated, and backed out of the driveway without giving Caroline another glance.

Caroline didn't hide the disappointment on her face at his statement. She didn't want to go to this party. She just wanted to go home, lay in her bed, and cry her eyes out if there were any tears left. She was heartbroken, but she wouldn't cry in front of Tyler. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing how much he hurt her. The two didn't say another word to each other the entire way to the party. It was going to be a long night.

**Thank you so much for reading! The next chapter will be longer, and have some Klaroline interaction, so stay tuned! :) **


	4. Chapter 4

**HELLO! Before I start my usual note, I want to do something first. A couple of people have asked me questions in the reviews, and I couldn't send them a PM, so I wrote a review to answer their questions but I don't know if they saw my answers so...**

**Lisa: yes! They are all human. Thank you so much for always reading and reviewing!**

**kacomu: it will come! Hopefully soon. But right now I don't want to rush anything! I know how I want it to play out, and it should be happening soon, maybe in the next few chapters. It will happen, though, just bear with me! :) Thanks for reading.**

**That last comment is about Caroline breaking up with Tyler. It is going to happen, I promise! Just stick with me on this one, because I don't want to rush it, and I want Caroline to break it off with Tyler for a reason... not just because she likes Klaus. But thank you to everyone who has read, followed, reviewed, and favorited (- not a word, but oh well! haha)! Tyler starts acting like a bigger jerk here, so here's my final warning: If you like Tyler, you might not want to read this fic! (I know a lot of you don't like to see Caroline hurt or scared, but just bear with me, please!) Here's a longer chapter for you... Thanks for reading! :)**

Caroline realized when they pulled up to the house that she had never seen this place before. "Whose party is this?"

"Her name is Hayley. You don't know her," Tyler stated as he got out of the car.

Caroline wanted to make a comment about how it was okay for him to have a friend that was a girl, but she couldn't even talk to another guy. However, she decided against it, knowing that it would just cause more trouble. Even if she wanted to, she realized that Tyler was already way ahead of her, not even waiting for her to catch up. She sighed and stepped out of the truck. She debated on calling Elena or Bonnie and asking them to come pick her up, but again she just figured that would cause an even bigger problem between her and Tyler.

She walked into the house, feeling completely out of place. She looked around and realized that she didn't recognize a single face, except for Tyler's obviously. She saw that he already had a drink in his hand. She shook her head. That was the last thing he needed since he seemed to be angry with her all the time. She didn't need his judgment clouded even more. She watched as he walked up to an unfamiliar girl and hugged her. It wasn't really a romantic hug, more of a friendly hug, but it still made Caroline feel a twinge of jealousy. _I never even hugged Klaus,_ she thought to herself, feeling her anger start to build. She was about to march straight over to Tyler and interrupt his conversation when something stopped her.

"Well, if it isn't Caroline," a voice said behind her. "Funny seeing you here, love."

"Klaus?" Caroline turned towards the voice. It was him! She felt excited. Why?! "What are you doing here?" She couldn't hide the smile on her face.

"I've known Hayley for years," he answered. "The real question is what are you doing here? I've never heard Hayley mention you before."

"Apparently Tyler, my boyfriend, and Hayley are friends," she told him. "He's the reason I'm here, and I feel completely out of place. I don't know anyone."

He smirked, "Well that's not true, now is it? You know me." He walked over to an empty spot against a wall and motioned for her to follow so they had something to lean on. The place was crowded.

"Okay, but I just now ran in to you," she pointed out.

He laughed, and Caroline realized it was the first time that she heard him laugh. It was nice. Deep, low, and quick, but she knew she heard it. "True. Why are you not with your boyfriend?"

Caroline turned to look in Tyler's direction, and then glanced back at Klaus, but not before he followed her gaze. "He seems to be busy," she said in an agitated tone.

"Ah, that's your boyfriend," Klaus was looking at Tyler with a scowl. "That's Hayley that he is talking to by the way." His gaze returned to Caroline.

"That explains the hug then," she was saying more to herself than to him.

On the other side of the room, Tyler was talking to Hayley. He glanced in the general direction of Caroline, hoping to see her staring at him in jealousy. He wanted her to feel what he felt. Instead, he saw her talking to some guy.

"Who is that guy?" Tyler growled at Hayley.

"What guy?" Hayley asked him, looking around the room trying to figure out who he was talking about.

"The one talking to Caroline, the blonde girl in the green dress," he explained when he realized that he had never introduced Hayley to Caroline.

"Oh, so that's Caroline," Hayley sounded disappointed that Tyler had brought his girlfriend. She was looking Caroline up and down, wondering what Tyler saw in her. "She's talking to Niklaus Mikaelson, or Klaus."

"Klaus?" Tyler was trying to think about where he heard that name before; the alcohol was starting to cloud his brain. Matt! He had heard it from Matt. Klaus was the guy that Caroline was talking to when she didn't have time to answer her phone. Tyler stomped off in Caroline's direction. He could hear that they were carrying on a conversation, but he didn't know what was being said. And he could also hear Hayley calling his name from behind.

Tyler grabbed Caroline's arm and started dragging her, trying to find a place where they would be alone.

"Tyler, what are you doing? Let me go!" Caroline was yelling at Tyler, trying to yank her arm free of his grip. He didn't stop or say a word to her, he just kept going.

"Let her go!" Klaus was following, wanting to grab Caroline and pull her towards him, but he was scared that he would hurt her since Tyler had a grip on her other arm. _How does this girl always get herself in trouble_, Klaus thought to himself.

Tyler glanced back at Klaus with the meanest glare Caroline had ever seen Tyler portray. She knew that if he had given her that look, she would have turned around and went the other way. But not Klaus. He was still right behind them.

"I said let her go!" Klaus repeated as Tyler busted open a door that led into an empty room. Klaus' voice was starting to take on a scary tone. Caroline remembered what Matt had said about Klaus being a jerk and wondered what that meant.

Caroline was still trying to yank her arm free when Tyler finally let go of her. Klaus was standing in the doorway and Hayley was right behind him.

"Leave! This is between me and _my_ girlfriend!" Tyler told them both, but Caroline noticed that he was mainly speaking to Klaus.

"I'm not leaving her in here with you." Klaus was face to face with Tyler at that point. When he realized Tyler wasn't about to do anything to start a fight with him, at least not yet, he turned his attention to Caroline. "Come on, Caroline." Klaus held his hand out to her.

She looked down at his hand, considering taking it. She looked up at Tyler to see his jaw clenched, waiting on her to make her choice. "Just go Klaus," she whispered. She wasn't confident in her choice, but she loved Tyler. Or at least she thought she did.

Klaus looked confused. "What are you saying, Caroline? He hurt you. Please, just come with me."

Caroline couldn't even look at him. Her eyes were already starting to fill up with tears. She shook her head. "I'm fine, Klaus. He didn't hurt me. Just go." She used all of her strength to get that out and sound convincing, like she really was fine.

Klaus turned to leave, but gave her one last glance. One last time to change her mind and leave with him. She almost did, but he wasn't part of her life plan.

Tyler slammed the door shut before he started yelling at Caroline. The music was blaring at the party, so she knew no one could even hear what was going on. He stood in front of Caroline, with his hands on the wall on either side of her, his arms trapping her. He was so close to her face that she would have thought he was going to kiss her if she didn't know he was angry.

"What were you doing with him again? I thought you said he was just an acquaintance!" He yelled in her face, but didn't even give her time to answer. "I don't ever want to see you with him again, do you understand me? Stay away from him!"

Caroline was so scared, she had her face turned away from him. But when she didn't answer right away he slammed his hands against the wall, scaring her even more. However, she was trying to keep as much emotion off of her face as possible.

"I said to stay away from him! Is that clear?" He asked again. She nodded, but still kept her face turned away from him. "Let's get back to Mystic Falls before you make me look even worse than you already have." He walked over, yanked open the door and started looking for Hayley.

Caroline finally got control over her emotions before she followed his path and walked out into the party again. Her eyes were scanning the room for Tyler when they landed on Klaus. He was across the room talking to some girl. A really pretty girl. As if he could sense her gaze on him, he looked over in her direction, and his eyes locked with hers.

Klaus wanted to run to Caroline and wrap her in his arms. He didn't know what it was about that girl, but she drew him in. He could see that she was rattled, and he wanted to punch her boyfriend right in front of everyone. Klaus wanted to humiliate Tyler the way Tyler humiliated Caroline. He was about to excuse himself from the girl he was talking to, she couldn't hold his attention when Caroline was in the room looking like she did, when he saw the slight shake of Caroline's head. _Was all of that because of me?_ He wondered to himself. That made him feel even worse thinking that he could be the reason she was feeling so scared and upset. His eyes pleaded with her to just let him talk to her, but she broke their gaze. Klaus saw Tyler mouth something to Caroline, and then walk out the door, expecting Caroline to follow him.

Caroline glanced back at Klaus once more before she followed Tyler out the door, and back to the truck.

When she saw Tyler walking to the driver's side, she stopped him. "Give me the keys, Tyler."

"Excuse me?" He turned to look at her.

"I said, give me the keys. You have been drinking, and I don't know about you, but I don't want to get in a wreck tonight." She didn't even give him time to answer before she grabbed the keys out of his hand and got in the driver's seat.

Once inside the truck, Caroline decided that she wasn't going to speak to Tyler. If he wanted to be mean to her and embarrass her in front of a bunch of people, then she was going to give him the silent treatment. Maybe then he would get the hint that he was going too far.

"Was this all planned, Caroline?" Tyler asked from the passenger's seat. "Did you ask him to meet you here so you could embarrass me?" When she didn't answer, he continued. "I have been with you for years, Caroline. Are you so willing to throw that all away?"

Her anger was starting to bubble over. Was he seriously telling her that _she_ was the one throwing them away?

"Now you aren't going to speak to me?" He asked her when she still wouldn't answer him. "Okay, then I will take your silence as a yes to all of my questions." He kept glancing over at her, trying to see if anything he said was getting a reaction out of her.

She had enough. "Really, Tyler? I'm the one throwing us away? You have been nothing but mean to me from the minute I walked through the door! I told you that nothing was going on between me and Klaus, but you chose not to believe me. I don't know when you stopped trusting me, but you had no reason to!" It felt good to stand up for herself.

"So, are you really going to tell me that you had no idea he was going to be there? That it was just purely coincidental?" He nearly scoffed at her.

The fact that he completely ignored what she said about how he had been treating her made her even angrier. "Honestly, Tyler, I had no idea! Did you forget that _you_ were the one that told _me _we were coming to this party? It's not my fault your _friend_ Hayley knows Klaus." She could hear the anger dripping from her voice.

"So now because I question you about Klaus, you think you need to question me about Hayley?"

The way Tyler was ignoring parts of what Caroline was saying, and just trying to turn the blame back on her was just making everything worse. Caroline tried to calm herself down, trying to remind herself that he had been drinking, and his mind was not clear.

"I'm done with this conversation, Tyler," she told him. "If you want to talk about it, we will talk about it when you're sober." She was pulling into his driveway at that point, and she was just tired. "Can you get in your house on your own?" She asked him as she opened her door.

"Yes, but where are you going? How are you going to get home?" He was looking around, trying to find her car, forgetting that they left from her house in his truck.

"I'm just going to walk. Good night, Tyler." Caroline crossed her arms, trying to protect herself from the chill of the night air as she walked in the direction of her home. She needed some fresh air anyway.

She was thinking about the events of the night, shocked that it all really happened. Tyler had never made her feel so small. She didn't think he would really hurt her, but then again, if she had been told he would act like this when she got home, she wouldn't have believed it. She knew something had to have happened to make him so angry, something much bigger than her conversation with Klaus. She wondered when he would actually tell her what that something was. She sighed to herself. She knew that whatever it was, they would get past it. They had to because they were meant to be together forever.

Then her mind drifted to the expression on Klaus' face when she told him to leave the room. He looked so conflicted, like it was taking everything in his power to leave her alone with Tyler. And then she thought about the look on his face when she wouldn't let him check on her. He looked so hurt, and for some reason that hurt her. It shouldn't, because she didn't even know the guy, but for some reason it truly did.

While she was lost in thought, she didn't hear the vehicle pull up beside her.

"Caroline?" The familiar voice asked, sounding confused.

Caroline turned to see her best friend, sticking her head out of the open car window. She smiled. "Hey Bon."

"Why are you walking this late at night? Get in the car." Bonnie pulled over on the side of the road so Caroline could get in the car, which she did.

"Thanks." Caroline told her before she started to explain the events that had taken place that night. However, Caroline didn't explain just how frightening Tyler had really been. She didn't want to worry her best friend for no reason.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello! Thank you to all of my lovely readers for, well… reading! Thank you to everyone who has followed, favorited, and reviewed! To my reviewers from the last chapter::::**

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**I think a lot of you will like this chapter, at least I hope! Something that everyone has been waiting for is finally here! It might be a couple of days before I update again, but I just finished this and wanted to get it up! Thank you all for your continued support… Now let's get to reading! :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or any of its characters**

A few weeks had gone by and nothing was getting better. Tyler was still being a jerk, and Caroline didn't know what to do about it. She tried to stay away from him at first, thinking that maybe he just needed some space to figure out what was going on in his life, but that didn't seem to work either. He wanted her with him when he went to parties or when he was hanging out with their friends from Mystic Falls, like he was trying to prove that everything was fine between them. When Caroline really thought about it though, she realized that he really did not see his Mystic Falls friends that much anymore. He saw Matt maybe one other time after seeing him at Caroline's house. Everything was very strange to Caroline. When she tried to ask him about it, he usually just blew up at her, telling her that nothing was wrong and it was just her imagination.

As for Klaus, Caroline hadn't seen him since the night of the party. When she thought about it, she wanted nothing more than to find him, see him, talk to him, but she knew that if Tyler found out, he would explode all over again. She shouldn't feel guilty about wanting to see Klaus. They were just friends, and Tyler saw Hayley all the time. Caroline sighed; she just wanted everything to go back to normal. She didn't want things to be so complicated!

Caroline decided that she needed to talk to Matt. Maybe he could give her a reason for Tyler's sudden change in attitude. She dialed his number, and he answered on the third ring.

"Hello?" He said into the phone.

"Hey Matt, it's Caroline. I was wondering if you could meet me at The Grill in about an hour. I needed to talk to you about something," she explained to him.

"Uh, sure Care. Is everything alright?"

She could hear the worry in his voice. "Yeah, I hope so. I'll see you in an hour."

"Okay," he replied before hanging up.

Caroline went into her room, opened her drawer, and pulled out a cute white shirt and dark skinny jeans. She went into the bathroom to take a shower and get ready. While she was in the process of curling her blonde hair, her phone rang. She didn't recognize the number, so she decided to ignore it. If they needed her that badly, they would leave her a voicemail. She never received one. _Maybe it was just a wrong number_, she thought as she continued curling her hair. After she finished putting on her make-up and adding a pair of cute colorful wedges to her feet, she went out the door to meet Matt, hoping he would be able to give her the answers she was searching for.

Matt was already at The Grill when Caroline walked in. He stood up and waved so she would locate him quicker. She smiled as she walked over to meet him.

"Hey, Matt!" Caroline couldn't help but be happy to see her friend.

"Hey, Care. What's going on?" Matt was already looking serious as he sat across from her at the table.

"Well, I was wondering if you had noticed anything different about Tyler. It's just that ever since I got home, he's been acting like a completely different person," she explained to him. She realized that she probably should sound more concerned or upset than she did, but she just pushed those thoughts away.

"Oh." Matt answered, but he seemed to hesitate before trying to answer. "Look, Care…"

"Just tell me what it is Matt!" She was starting to feel nervous and aggravated that he didn't want to tell her.

"He's convinced that you have or had something going on with that Klaus guy," he admitted.

"That's it? That's the reason he's been treating me so terribly? Because he _thinks _I have been seeing someone else. Why not just break up with me then?" Caroline's voice was starting to get louder and louder as her frustration grew. She truly thought it had been something much bigger. "With the way he has been treating me, I thought something much worse had happened! You told him that I'm not cheating on him right?" _Since my word is obviously not enough,_ she added mentally.

"Of course, but you know how Tyler is. Once he gets something in his mind, it's hard to convince him otherwise. Besides, I haven't even seen Tyler that much since we got back, but I think he loves you Caroline. That's why he isn't breaking up with you." Matt looked like he was being honest, and he really had no reason to lie to Caroline. She felt like they had become closer than Matt and Tyler since she and Matt went off to college together.

"Well he has a funny way of showing it," Caroline mumbled.

Their conversation was interrupted when someone laid a hand on Caroline's shoulder. She turned to see Jeremy, Elena, and Damon standing behind her, but it was Bonnie's hand that sat on her shoulder.

"Hey guys," Elena smiled at Caroline and Matt. "Do you want to join us?"

"I really have to go. I have to pick up Vicky from a friend's house. Maybe next time," Matt smiled as he stood to leave.

"Yeah, I really should be going too. I have somewhere I need to go," Caroline started to stand as well.

"Caroline, can I talk to you before you go?" Bonnie asked with a serious expression, letting Caroline know that it was something important.

"Sure Bonnie."

Caroline and Matt said their goodbyes to their friends before Matt left the restaurant and Caroline followed Bonnie to a private hallway.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Caroline asked, noticing that whatever Bonnie wanted to talk about was worrying her.

"I ran into that guy Klaus the other day, Caroline," Bonnie began to explain. "He told me what really happened at that party a few weeks ago. Why didn't you tell me what Tyler did to you?"

"That was none of Klaus' business. He had no right to say anything," Caroline wasn't really mad at Klaus, she was just mad because she didn't want to have to explain it to Bonnie.

"He told me because he was worried. He said that Tyler was pretty aggressive that night, Care. What is going on?" Bonnie's expression was stern. "The truth this time."

Caroline sighed. "I don't know what's going on, Bonnie! And that is the truth! It's like a switch got flipped and Tyler is a completely different person. I don't know what to do. He doesn't talk to me, at least not without yelling. He gets scary, but I know that he wouldn't really hurt me. The worst part of it all… I don't know that I even really care anymore," Caroline looked at her feet. "This is not how it was supposed to be. We were supposed to be together forever, and now I don't know if we will be together next week. And it scares me that I'm okay with that." She unloaded all of her feelings onto her best friend, which felt like a huge weight had been lifted. She finally was able to talk to someone that wouldn't judge her because Bonnie cared about Caroline's happiness over Tyler's.

Bonnie hugged her best friend. "It's going to be okay, Caroline. The most important thing is that you take care of yourself. I don't want you getting hurt."

Caroline squeezed Bonnie. "I know." She pulled away. "I'm going to head to Tyler's right now to get this all worked out, once and for all." She smiled, trying to reassure Bonnie that she was really okay.

Bonnie nodded. "Just be careful. If you need anything, I have my phone, so don't hesitate to call me."

"I won't." Caroline hugged Bonnie one more time before she headed to her car.

The whole way to Tyler's house Caroline was trying to figure out what she going to say. Should she just walk in and demand that he tell her what was going on? Should she tell him that they needed to work this out if they were going to stay together? Maybe she should just go in there and demand the truth from him, and if he didn't want to tell her, threaten to break up with him. She really didn't know what the right choice was anymore. If it had been the old Tyler, she would have simply explained that they needed to work whatever this was out so they could be happy together again. For some reason though, she didn't think that that would work with this new Tyler. She shook her head. She didn't know what to do.

Her mind wandered to Klaus. He had been worried about her. _Of course he had, Caroline, don't you remember his expressions at the party?_ She mentally scolded herself. She couldn't stifle the excitement that built up inside her when she thought about him actually being worried about her safety. She explained to herself that it was just because she was happy that some guy seemed to care about her lately. She laid her head back against the seat in her car. What was wrong with her? How did everything change so much? Thinking of Tyler puts her in a bad mood, but thinking of Klaus makes her smile. She would never have believed that if she wasn't experiencing it.

She saw an unfamiliar car in Tyler's driveway as she pulled in. It was a 2013 black corvette, and the windows were tinted so dark that she couldn't see if anyone was still inside. Her question was answered as the driver's side door opened.

Caroline parked her car, and stepped out. When she looked back towards the corvette, her eyes locked with a pair of familiar blue-green ones.

"Klaus?" Caroline was so confused.

"Caroline…" Klaus' jaw was clenched tight, but Caroline didn't exactly know why.

She could tell that he didn't really know how to act around her, which disappointed her. She tried to ignore the feeling. "What are you doing here? At Tyler's." She knew there was no way they could be friends. Not after their last encounter.

"I received a call from my sister who came here with Hayley. She needed a ride home," he explained.

_Why couldn't Hayley take her home?_ Caroline thought to herself before another thought popped into her head._ Wait! Why is Hayley here?!_

"Are you okay?" Klaus asked, breaking Caroline out of her thoughts. "I mean, you wouldn't let me talk to you after the party. I tried to call, but you didn't answer."

"You called?" Caroline was confused again. She didn't remember ever giving him her number.

"Yes. Your friend, Bonnie, gave me your number when I saw her. I hope that's alright, sweetheart." He was watching her, looking for some kind of reaction.

Why did he have to call her sweetheart with that accent? There's no way she could be annoyed even if she wanted to. Which truthfully, she didn't want to be. "Oh, yeah, that's fine. I just didn't realize you called. I would have answered."

"I actually called this morning, ironic isn't it?" He asked her, his gaze never shifting from her face.

_That was the number I didn't recognize!_ Caroline thought to herself. If she would have known she would have answered it. "I'm sorry. Well now I have your number." She smiled, trying to lighten the tension that was still between them.

He nodded once, not smiling back. "You never answered my question." He pointed out. "Are you okay?"

She glanced towards the ground before meeting his gaze again. "Yeah, I'm okay. Things could be better, but hopefully that changes soon." She was trying to be honest with him.

He nodded again. "Good," he replied. "Well, I better go get my sister. She is rather impatient. Lead the way?" He asked her as he motioned for her to go first.

Instead of walking in front of him, she stayed beside him. They didn't continue their conversation, choosing to walk in silence, but it wasn't awkward. It was nice. Caroline didn't knock. She just opened the door and walked right in like she owned the place, so Klaus followed her.

Caroline decided to help Klaus find his sister before talking to Tyler. They were both looking when Klaus broke the silence. "Rebekah?" He called.

"I'm in here, brother," came a voice from the living room with the same accent.

Caroline led Klaus into the room, curious to see his sister. She was a petite girl with blonde hair and blue eyes. Caroline knew that the girl must have been 20 or 21 she would have guessed. Caroline couldn't help but see the resemblance between the girl and her older brother. Rebekah was sitting on the couch when they approached her.

"Where's Hayley?" Klaus asked Rebekah, sounding irritated.

Rebekah shrugged. "She went upstairs with whoever the guy is that lives here."

"She just left you here?" Klaus was getting more and more annoyed. Then, he realized who _the guy who lives here _was. He looked to his right and realized that Caroline was gone. "Stay here," he told his sister before he hurried off in search of the stairway.

Caroline went straight to Tyler's room, not caring that she was technically intruding. She knew she was headed in the right direction when she heard loud music coming from the room. She slammed open the door, causing it to bang against the wall behind it. She was greeted with the shocked expressions of Tyler and Hayley, but not before she had seen Tyler's mouth pressed against Hayley's.

Tyler stood up from the bed he was sitting on. "Caroline? What are you doing here?!"

"I just caught you with someone else and that's what you say to me?" Caroline was hurt of course, but more than anything she was angry. She knew that when she got angry, she cried. She was trying to keep that from happening, so she was fighting the tears that were starting to sting her eyes. She walked into the room and up to Tyler. She shoved him as she yelled, "you are nothing but a lying, cheating, hypocrite!" Then she turned to Hayley. "You can have him. I'm done!" Her voice went low, and she turned back to Tyler as she said the last part. She started to leave, but Tyler grabbed her arm and spun her back around.

"Don't touch her," came a voice from the doorway.

Caroline turned her head to see Klaus standing there. In all the commotion, she had forgotten that he was there, and she was relieved at the realization. He looked at her, as if to ask permission to help her this time. She gave him a small smile, an okay. He entered the bedroom.

Tyler released his grip on Caroline's arm, but he wasn't done with her yet. "I'm the hypocrite?! You're saying that when he is standing right there?" Tyler motioned towards Klaus. "You are the liar! I knew there was something going on between you two from the minute I talked to you on the phone that day."

"Nothing happened between me and Klaus! I have told you that, Matt has told you that, and I am done explaining myself to you. You don't deserve an explanation," she growled at him.

Klaus was just waiting to step in if he needed to, wanting to let Caroline handle herself because he could see that she was fully capable of it. Hayley sat on the bed watching the whole thing, but not saying a word. Klaus would look at her every once in a while, thinking she was getting off too easy in all of this, but it wasn't his place to say anything.

"Whatever, Caroline! You're nothing but trash, and I hope you two are happy together. Besides, your permission doesn't matter. Hayley already _had_ me long before you got home," he smirked, but that quickly went away.

While Tyler was speaking, Klaus' fists were getting tighter and tighter by his sides. When Tyler finished his mouthing and Klaus saw him and Hayley both smirk, Klaus punched Tyler across the jaw as hard as he could. Tyler immediately fell backwards onto the floor, and grabbed his jaw as Klaus shook his hand out, trying to get rid of his own pain. Hayley gasped, running to Tyler's side to see if he was okay.

"Don't you ever speak to her like that again. Do you understand?" Klaus glared down at Tyler. He didn't wait for a response as he turned to Hayley, and pointed at her. "And you, stay away from my sister." Hayley glared back at him, but didn't say anything.

"Let's go, Caroline." Klaus wrapped an arm around Caroline's waist, pulling her against him. She was still so shocked over what had just happened that she let him lead her out of the bedroom.

Rebekah was standing at the top of the stairs with a wide-eyed expression. Klaus could tell that she wanted to ask what had happened, so he stopped her before she could. "Here, Rebekah. Take my car and go home. I'm going to drive Caroline." He threw her the keys.

"No, it's okay. I can drive myself." Caroline told him, not wanting to cause him any unnecessary trouble.

He started shaking his head before she even finished. "It's not a problem, love. I want to."

And with that, Caroline let him lead her down the stairs. He opened the passenger door for her and she got in. She handed him the keys when he was seated beside her, and he started the engine and began to drive off. Caroline didn't think she was going to make it all the way home before her tears started to fall.


	6. Chapter 6

**HI EVERYONE READING THIS FIC! :) Thank you to: Lisa, kacomu, Pinkgem22, Heidiionaanita, and Aaaammber for reviewing my last chapter! Also for chapter 4: jessnicole who reviewed right as I was updating my next chapter so I missed hers before I updated! Thank you to everyone who is reading, favoriting (ß I obviously enjoy making up words ;) ), and following me and my story! You guys are awesome! **

**I am uploading this in the middle of my "busy" days, so hopefully there won't be a big gap of time before my next chapter is up! This chapter has a looootttt of Klaroline interaction :) BUT there is a twist near the end, so please don't hate me. Like I said before, PLEASE JUST BEAR WITH ME! Haha! And take comfort in the fact that Caroline will never be back with Tyler! And of course that Klaroline is endgame! One last thing, Katherine is discussed in this chapter! Try to keep in mind that this is an AU fic, so Katherine will NOT look exactly like Elena. I hope you all enjoy this chapter…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or any of its characters**

Caroline was right. She didn't even make it halfway home before her tears started to fall. Luckily, she had given Klaus the directions he needed to make it to her house before she became overwhelmed. The tears were slow at first, making single trails down her cheeks as they fell. Klaus didn't say a word as he continued to drive. He wanted to give her as much space as she needed. Caroline was grateful for that, and was now grateful for him driving her home. She was trying to figure out why she was even crying. She had realized that her feelings for Tyler weren't as strong as they used to be before she caught him cheating. He pushed her away, and he succeeded in tearing them apart. So she knew she wasn't crying because she loved him so much and he wasn't hers anymore. No, she had to be crying because she lost someone that she had been friends with even before they started dating. She lost someone that she had known almost her entire life. She was sad because he wasn't who she thought he was. She was scared because her life was changing, not following the plan that she had had all along. And last, she was horrified by the terrible things Tyler had said to her before she left the room. The more she thought, the faster the tears came. She tried to hide it from Klaus by looking out the passenger side window, shielding her face from his view, but it didn't work. Klaus glanced over at her every once in a while, checking to make sure she was okay, and he could see her body shaking as she cried. He wanted nothing more than to try to comfort her in that moment, but he didn't know what his boundaries were. He didn't want to do anything that made her feel uncomfortable. So the wall between them stayed where it was for the time being.

Klaus pulled into her driveway, noticing that there were no other vehicles there. He wondered if she lived by herself. That concerned him more because he knew that she needed someone to talk to, someone that she felt comfortable opening up to. She didn't even attempt to get out of the car when Klaus turned off the engine. He couldn't take it anymore. He got out of the car and quickly went around to the passenger side. He opened the door to Caroline's shocked tear stained face. She didn't know what he was doing. He knelt down on the ground in front of Caroline, helping her turn her body towards him. He cupped her face in his hands and his thumbs began to wipe away the tears that still lingered there.

Caroline could see the concern on his face, and it made her want to laugh at herself for being so emotional, but instead more tears came. She relaxed into his touch and continued to cry. When Klaus realized that the crying wasn't stopping, he stood up, pulling Caroline with him. He pulled her against his chest and held her, one arm around her back and the other holding her head to him. Caroline grabbed his shirt in her fists, not noticing that she was wrinkling it, and buried her face into him. They stood like that for a while, until Caroline had finished crying. Klaus couldn't help but wonder when he became this guy. Normally, crying girls scared him, although he would never admit to anyone that something scared him. But with Caroline, it was different. He wanted to be there for her. He wanted to comfort her, and make sure that she was alright. He wanted to be the one she came to.

Caroline pulled away, wiping the tears off of her face as quickly as she could. "I'm so sorry," she told Klaus. They both immediately felt the absence of the other.

"Don't be, love." He said in response. "I'm glad I could be here for you," he smiled.

Caroline tried to smile back as best as she could. She looked at his shirt and was filled with embarrassment, her eyes widening. "Oh my goodness, I think I might have ruined your shirt." She started trying to flatten out the wrinkles with her hands.

Klaus placed his hands over hers, holding them against him for a second. Neither could miss the warmth that spread through them from the other's touch. "It's quite alright. I have plenty more at home." He chuckled. _Of all things, she was worried about his shirt_.

This time, Caroline didn't have to fake a smile. She giggled back at him. "I would offer you a shirt, but it's just me and my mom here, so I don't have any men's clothes."

He noticed the giggle and he was relieved. Maybe she would be alright.

"Would you like to come in?" She asked him to relieve the awkward silence that was starting to build.

"Sure," Klaus responded, happy that she was slowly getting back to her normal self.

Caroline led him to the door and stopped, looking at him as if waiting on something. He just looked at her, confused as to why she wasn't opening the door.

"You have the keys, silly." She told him.

"Oh, right." He was almost embarrassed. He was usually so smooth around girls. What was going on? He reached into his back pocket and handed her the keys.

When they were inside, Caroline began to give him a quick tour. "If you would like a drink, help yourself." She smiled. "Just make yourself at home."

"Alright." He smiled back, happy that she was accepting him so easily. Not everyone did.

Caroline walked off, and soon he could hear her rummaging around in the kitchen. He stopped in the door frame, leaning against it as he watched her, wondering what she was doing.

"Ugh," she groaned. "We have nothing to eat in this house. I guess it's time for me to go grocery shopping." She closed the door to the refrigerator and turned towards Klaus.

"Your mum doesn't buy the groceries?" He asked, curiosity about her mom rising inside him.

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Are you kidding? My mom's never home. She's always working, so when I'm home, I get stuck doing the little things around the house like cleaning, cooking, shopping."

Klaus could see the disappointment on Caroline's face, so he decided to drop the subject.

Caroline thought for a moment before an idea popped into her head. "Are you hungry?" She asked as her stomach grumbled, obviously revealing how hungry she really was.

He smiled, his dimples showing. "Yes, I am. What do you have in mind?"

"Let's go to The Grill! It's the only place in Mystic Falls, unfortunately, but the food is pretty good."

Caroline's bubbly personality was contagious. "Alright, but I'm afraid I'll have to go home and change first."

Caroline looked down in embarrassment. "Sorry about your shirt, again."

Klaus walked over to her, placing his finger under her chin, lifting her face to meet his. "Forget about it, sweetheart. It's just a shirt."

Caroline's gaze was locked with his. She couldn't break it. He had the prettiest eyes she had ever seen. Finally, he removed his finger, which broke her out of her trance.

"Um… yeah…" She stuttered. "Let me get you my keys, and you can go to your place and change while I get ready." She began walking back into the entryway to find her keys. She gave them to him when she found them.

"I'll be back in about forty-five minutes. Will that give you enough time?" He asked as he took the keys from her.

She nodded.

"Will you be alright here alone?" His concerned face returned.

She smiled at him reassuringly. "I will be perfectly fine. Now, go!" She practically pushed him out the door. "I'm starving, and I would like to eat sometime today," she joked.

His signature smirk was on his face as he slightly shook his head and left her house.

Caroline couldn't help but smile. She knew she should be more upset about the whole Tyler thing, but she couldn't be. Besides, she had gotten all of her crying out. It was time to move on! She didn't want to get into any kind of relationship right now; she just got out of one. But she could use all the friends she could get. She was a social person after all. The only thing that concerned her was how long she could actually stay _just friends_ with Niklaus Mikaelson.

She sighed a rather happy sigh, and walked up the stairs to her bedroom. She took some extra time trying to figure out what she was going to wear for the first time in weeks. She pulled out a pretty floral tank top that flowed out at the bottom. It was tied up the back in a crisscross pattern. She grabbed a pair of turquoise skinny jeans that matched the turquoise in the top, and a few colorful bracelets that matched perfectly. She decided to take a quick shower because she felt gross after crying so much. When she got out, she looked at her face in the mirror. It was all puffy and red. She groaned to herself, frustrated that Klaus had seen her looking like that. She spread a light layer of foundation over her face to take away the red, added some natural eye shadow, chocolate eyeliner, and some mascara. She finished her face off with a bit of pink gloss. Last, she curled her blonde hair, and looked at herself one last time in the mirror. She was satisfied, noticing that she covered up all traces of her crying. She sprayed herself with her favorite perfume before entering her bedroom. As she was picking out her chocolate brown wedges, there was a knock at the door. She looked down at her watch. Forty minutes had passed.

"I'm coming!" She called as she grabbed her shoes and ran down the stairs. She opened the door to a freshly shirted Klaus. She smiled. "You're early."

He looked down at his own watch. "I can come back in five minutes if you'd like." He stated.

She couldn't tell if he was joking or not. He could see the confusion on her face, so he smirked. _He was kidding_, she thought to herself.

"Get in here!" She told him as she moved out of the doorway. "I just have to put my shoes on and grab my purse."

He walked in, hands behind his back. "Take your time."

When she finished everything she had to do, she grabbed her cell phone, and they both walked out to her car. She decided to make Klaus drive again, to which he seemed to have no problem with.

They pulled up to The Grill, and Caroline noticed there were no cars in the parking lot that she recognized. She felt relieved. They walked in side by side, both aware of how close they were to each other. After they were seated and ordered their meals, Caroline decided it was time that she really got to know Niklaus Mikaelson.

"Tell me about yourself," she stated.

He looked up at her, not really knowing what to say. "What do you want to know? You will have to be more specific." He smiled.

"Why do you have a British accent?" She decided to start off with.

"Well, I was born in the UK. We lived there until I turned 18, which was when my parents passed away in a car accident." Caroline noticed how whenever he spoke to her, his eyes were always on hers. They never wavered.

Caroline gasped at his revelation. "Klaus, I'm so sorry." She wanted to grab his hand, but she didn't know how appropriate that was. "If I'd have known, I wouldn't have asked."

He smiled at her. "It's alright, love. It's who I am. What else would you like to know?"

Caroline didn't know if she should continue, but he was the one prompting her at this point, so she did. "Well, is that why you came to America?"

He thought about it before he answered. "Yes and no. My two younger siblings, Rebekah and Kol, were still underage at that time, so they needed a guardian. My two older brothers and I were going to be in college, so we wouldn't have time to properly care for them. Hayley's…," he stopped and looked up at her.

"It's alright, go ahead," she told him.

"Well, Hayley's parents had moved to the UK for her father's job, and our parents became good friends. When my parents passed away, Hayley's parents felt like they should be the ones responsible for Kol and Rebekah. Hayley's father was getting transferred back to the United States, which meant that Kol and Rebekah would be coming back to the United States with them. I had already considered coming to the U.S. for college, so that just helped me finalize my decision. I wanted to be here for them in case they ever needed me. My two older brothers, Elijah and Finn, stayed in the UK."

Caroline admired him for coming to the United States for his brother and sister. It showed how much he cared for them. She was also a bit envious. She had always wanted a brother or sister, anyone that would keep her from being so lonely when she was home alone. "I would like to meet your brothers." She smiled. "I should probably meet your sister again, under different circumstances this time," she added.

He smiled. Her statements made him realize that she wanted to have a part in his life. "You can meet Kol, but Elijah and Finn will be a bit more difficult to reach. We'll see what we can do."

Their meals came, but Caroline wasn't finished asking questions. "Now the easy stuff," she laughed. "What did you major in?"

"Art, you?" He asked.

"You're an artist?" She was surprised. He didn't really seem like the artist type, if there really was one.

He smirked. "Well, I like to think I am."

"I have to see some of your work," she was so intrigued by him. "I got my degree in Interior Decorating. It was more of a hobby at first, but then I realized how much I really enjoyed it."

"That's an art in itself," he commented.

She nodded, "Yeah, I guess you're right. Okay, next question, favorite color?"

"Easy, green. And yours?"

"Blue." There wasn't much of a pause before she moved on to the next question. "Favorite music?"

"I like all types of music." He didn't ask for her answers anymore, knowing that it was implied.

She nodded, "I like different styles, too, but my favorite would have to be pop. Favorite movie?"

He had to think about that one. "To be honest, I'm more of a classic movie buff. My favorite would have to be Great Expectations."

"I can see that." She smiled. "I like some classic movie, mostly the ones with Audrey Hepburn," she laughed, knowing that was such a girl thing to say. "But my favorite movie would have to be The Notebook, of course. What can I say? I'm a girl, and I'm a sucker for a good romance story," she defended herself.

He laughed at her expression. She didn't need to defend herself to him. "So when am I going to get to ask the questions?"

"Next time!" She stated quickly and they both laughed. "I'm not done yet." However, the next question neither of them were prepared for the answer. "Girlfriend?" Caroline didn't want to ask, but she wanted to know the answer.

Klaus looked down for the first time instead of meeting her gaze. At that point, she knew she wasn't going to like the answer. Klaus cleared his throat before speaking. "I've been seeing someone since that party that we went to the night we got home." Caroline could tell that he was trying to avoid mentioning Tyler or Hayley again.

"Oh." Caroline couldn't hide the disappointment in her tone. She shouldn't care. She was just looking for a _friend_, not a boyfriend.

Klaus heard the disappointment, which excited him and shamed him all at once. "It's nothing serious," he tried to explain. "We've just been dating."

Caroline forced a smile. "That's nice. What's her name?"

"Katherine," he stated.

"Well, I hope she makes you happy," she told him. She really did. She wanted him to be happy, but she didn't realize that he being with someone else would affect her this much. She was just getting to know this guy.

Klaus wanted to explain to her that he just started dating this girl because Caroline was with Tyler. He liked Katherine, but she didn't catch his attention like Caroline.

Caroline interrupted his thoughts. "I don't want to be in a relationship anytime soon. This whole thing with Tyler has stressed me out too much," she told him, not really believing everything she was saying. "I'm glad you and I can finally be friends though." She smiled.

Klaus forced a smile back. "Yeah, me too." He didn't want to just be friends with Caroline, but he knew that he had to accept it if he wanted her in his life.

The rest of the meal they just made small talk, trying to avoid the topic of relationships, Tyler, Hayley, and Katherine. When the bill came, Klaus insisted on paying for it. Caroline finally gave in, but felt like she should be the one paying after everything he did for her that day.

By the time they pulled into the driveway, Caroline was exhausted. It had been a really long day. Then, she realized that Klaus didn't have a vehicle. "Oh no, I forgot that your car wasn't here. Come on, I will take you home and then drive back."

"It's not a problem, love. I sent Rebekah a message when we left the restaurant, and she's on her way to pick me up."

Caroline was disappointed that she wasn't getting to spend more time with him, but she was happy to be able to go to bed soon. "Well would you at least like to come in and wait?"

Before Klaus could answer, they saw his car coming down the street. Again, Caroline felt a wave of disappointment.

"I guess not," he smiled.

Caroline looked at Klaus. "Thank you, again, for everything you did for me today. It meant more than you know." She walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Klaus stiffened at first, not sure how to react. Then, he wrapped his arms around her torso and whispered into her ear. "Anytime, love. If you ever need me, just call me." He hoped that she would even call him just to talk, though.

She squeezed him one last time before letting go. "I will."

As he was walking to his car, he turned back to Caroline. "Are you sure you will be okay here by yourself?"

Caroline nodded, grateful for his concern. "My mom will be home soon."

He nodded back. "Goodnight, Caroline."

"Goodnight, Klaus." She smiled, turned towards her house, and disappeared through the doorway.

**Like I said above, please don't hate me! Haha Klaroline WILL happen! This is only Chapter 6! Thanks again for reading :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello my lovely readers! Thank you for reading, favoriting, and following this story! Thank you jessnicole, Pinkgem22, Heidiionaanita, and Aaaammber for reviewing my last chapter! This chapter is kind of a filler, but I wanted to get a chapter up for you guys. If I would have kept going to where I originally was going to end it, it would have been LOOOONNNGGG! Haha! Hopefully I'll have the next one up either tomorrow or the next day! Thank you guys for continuing to read :) For all you Kol and Rebekah lovers out there, they are officially introduced in this chapter! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or its characters….**

Caroline was growing further and further apart from her friends from Mystic Falls. It wasn't that she didn't want to be around them, but she always felt like she was the third wheel that was invited out of pity. She just knew that they probably pictured her sitting at home alone on the couch with a big tub of ice cream and a spoon watching soap operas all day. That couldn't have been further from the truth. However, she did have the occasional phone conversation with Bonnie, reassuring her that she was fine. She was actually interviewing with different Interior Decorating businesses in and around Mystic Falls. She was eager to get started as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, things between Matt and Caroline had gotten worse and worse since Caroline had ended her relationship with Tyler. At first, Matt sided with Caroline, agreeing that she had been treated terribly by Tyler. He couldn't believe that Tyler had actually cheated on her, but then he started talking to Tyler again. His explanation was that they had been friends forever and he couldn't stay mad at him. The more Tyler talked to Matt, the more he convinced Matt that Caroline was a hypocrite. It didn't help that Caroline and Klaus were growing closer. Caroline tried to explain to Matt that she and Klaus were just friends, but eventually Caroline just stopped trying to convince him. It didn't seem to be helping anyway. The last thing Matt told her was, "remember what I said about him that first night, Care," before he walked away. She was still completely lost about what he meant, but she did remember and she would be careful.

Caroline had talked to Klaus every day since they went to dinner a month prior. She didn't always talk to him on the phone. Sometimes it would just be by text message, or maybe they would get together to watch a movie or go eat. They were growing closer, practically best friends. Caroline would never and could never replace Bonnie, but she did find comfort in knowing that she could talk to Klaus whenever she wanted and not worry about his girlfriend. Klaus was still dating Katherine, but Caroline still hadn't met her. Caroline also noticed that every time she talked to Klaus he wasn't with Katherine. She would almost wonder if he hadn't made this person up, but she would call every so often when Klaus was with Caroline. Klaus would always keep the conversation brief, never showing much emotion. Caroline made sure she was quiet when he was on the phone because she didn't know how much Katherine would like Klaus having a close friend that was a girl. She knew she wouldn't like it. She also knew that she didn't want to lose Klaus. As soon as he was off the phone, he gave Caroline his undivided attention. She felt so important when she was with him, and she liked that. She felt like she really needed that after everything she had been through.

Caroline walked out of her interview with Mystic Interiors, not able to wipe the smile off of her face. It had been the fifth business she interviewed with, and they hired her on the spot! Every other business told her that they would call her if she was hired, but she didn't want to wait. She needed something to do, and now she finally had something to do. Her first instinct should have been to call Bonnie, but it wasn't. As she walked out to her car she dialed Klaus's number.

"Hello, love. How did it go?" He answered on the second ring, like he had stayed close to the phone waiting on her call.

"I got it! They hired me right then and there and told me I start on Monday." She was so excited that she could hardly keep herself calm.

"Congratulations!" Her happiness was even causing him to get excited. "We must celebrate tonight. Anywhere you want to go."

She giggled. "I'll have to think about it and let you know. See you at six?"

"That sounds wonderful. Shall I pick you up then?"

"You will have to. I still haven't been to your place so I don't know how to get there," she reminded him. Then she realized exactly what she wanted to do, but she would tell him when he came to pick her up.

"Alright. I'll be there at six."

They said their goodbyes and hung up. Caroline sent out a group text message to Elena and Bonnie telling them she got the job with Mystic Interiors. They both sent back their congratulations, telling her that they should all get together and celebrate. She declined, explaining to them that she had already made plans with Klaus. There was no response back from either one, and she realized that she just basically told them that she told Klaus her news first. She groaned to herself. She texted them back and asked, _maybe tomorrow?_ After a couple of minutes, she got two responses: _sure_ and _okay_. She rolled her eyes and threw her phone in her passenger seat. She wasn't going to let them damper her good mood. She began the drive back to her house with the windows down and the radio station turned up, singing at the top of her lungs.

When Caroline pulled up to her house, she noticed that her mom was home. She was surprised to say the least that her mother would be home in the middle of the day. When she walked through the door, she immediately started looking for her.

"Mom?" Caroline called when she didn't see her right away.

"I'm in here, Caroline," came her mother's voice from the living room.

Caroline was even more shocked when she saw her mom sitting on the couch watching television. "What are you doing home? Is everything alright?"

Her mom smiled and turned off the television. "Everything is fine. I just thought that maybe we could spend some time together, but when I got home you were gone." She looked at her watch. "But I'm about to have to go back in."

Caroline frowned. She knew she had told her mom about her interview. "I had the interview with Mystic Interiors this afternoon, remember?"

"Oh, yeah. I guess I just forgot. Work has been really hectic lately. How did it go?"

"I got the job!" Caroline's huge smile returned.

"Congratulations." Her mom told her, but she obviously wasn't sharing in Caroline's excitement. "I guess I better get ready to go. Will you be alright alone tonight? I won't be getting home until really late since I took the afternoon off." She sounded like she was blaming Caroline for her having to work late.

_I didn't ask you to take off!_ Caroline thought to herself, but instead, she stated, "Yeah, I'll be fine. I'm going with Klaus."

"You two sure have been spending a lot of time with each other. How does Tyler feel about that?" She asked as she picked up her police gear.

Caroline shook her head, exasperated. "Tyler cheated on me, mom, remember? We aren't together anymore! Do you choose not to listen to me or is it just a habit?" Caroline snapped as she headed up the stairs. She hated how she and her mom didn't get along. She thought it would be better after she got home from school, but it was proving to be just as bad. She knew she needed to move out as soon as she could afford it.

"You don't have to be so mean, Caroline. I was just asking. I'm sorry that I have a hundred things on my mind at once, and I can't remember every detail about your life that you tell me." Liz snapped back, but Caroline never turned around. She just continued to her room.

She looked at the time on her phone, and it said 4:32 p.m. She had a little time before she needed to get ready so she decided to read her favorite book, _The Lucky One_ by Nicholas Sparks. She couldn't even tell anyone how many times she read that book. The cover was torn, the binding broken down, and the pages were yellowing. She was just getting to the part where Logan had officially started working for Elizabeth when she realized that she needed to start getting ready.

She walked over to her closet and chose a cute floral sundress. After she changed, she checked her make up in the mirror. She made some minor touch ups, and flipped her hair a couple of times before deciding that she looked good. She chose a pair of navy espadrille wedges, and was ready to go before six o'clock. _Why didn't I tell Klaus an earlier time?_ She thought to herself. As she waited, she gave in, laid across her bed, and picked up her book again. She was so lost in it that she didn't realize someone was standing in her door way.

"Is it that good, sweetheart?"

Her head shot up, eyes wide before her face broke into a smile. She laughed. "I guess so. I'm sorry, I didn't even hear you knock."

He smiled back, displaying his dimples. "It's alright. Have you decided where you would like to go to celebrate?" He entered her room, taking a seat beside her on the bed.

She closed her book, laying it on the bedside table. "Actually," she hesitated, but decided she would just see what he said. It couldn't hurt. "I would like to go to your place and meet Kol and Rebekah. We could pick something up to eat on the way." Caroline knew that Klaus lived with his younger siblings now that he was back "home" because he had mentioned it to her recently. She knew that he felt like he had to take care of them even if they were technically adults.

She could tell that he was really thinking about it. She wondered if he was trying to find a reason to say no. He nodded, "Okay, I guess we could do that. But wouldn't you rather go out and have some fun?"

She laughed. "We will have fun no matter where we are."

He didn't argue. Instead, he stood up and extended his hand to assist Caroline in getting up. She took it, trying to avoid his face as the electricity shot through her arm. She grabbed her purse off of her dresser and led him out to the car.

"I can just follow you if you'd like, so you don't have to bring me back home." She told him.

He shook his head. "It's not a problem, love. Just ride with me."

They were both wanting to spend as much time with each other as possible, though neither one would admit it to the other.

Klaus opened the passenger door for her, and she got in. She was finally getting to meet some of his siblings. She didn't count the time at Tyler's as truly meeting Rebekah. She didn't think she even said one word to the girl, so she was hoping to make a better impression this time. On the way to the house, they picked up Chinese take-out, making sure they got enough for Kol and Rebekah. Klaus knew that they would be home because he had talked to them about their plans before he left.

When they pulled up to the house Caroline's jaw dropped. "You never told me you lived in a mansion!"

"It must have slipped my mind," he replied. Caroline glared at him, squinting her eyes. He just smirked back at her. "Is that a problem?"

"No. But what else have you not told me?"

He shrugged. "There's a lot I haven't told you."

She playfully slapped him on his arm. "Jerk!" She tried to keep a straight face but it didn't work.

"Are we going to go inside? Or are we going to sit out here and gripe at each other?" He jokingly asked her.

She rolled her eyes and opened her car door. "Why do I put up with you?" She mumbled, but flashed him a smile.

_I wonder the same thing_, he thought to himself. He grabbed the food out of the backseat. Caroline offered to help him, but he declined, telling her to just go open the door. She couldn't help but stare at the mansion in front of her. The details were amazing. She wondered how they could afford such a place when his parents never moved to the United States. This was all theirs. She made a mental note to ask Klaus about that later.

When they entered the house, Caroline was still too engrossed in her surroundings to say anything at all.

"Kol? Rebekah?" Klaus yelled from the doorway.

"Niklaus? I thought you had a date tonight with that Caro…" Kol stopped mid-sentence as he entered the entry way and saw a blonde standing there with Klaus.

Caroline looked at Kol, and then raised her eyebrows as she looked at Klaus, waiting for him to explain.

Klaus groaned. "Kol, I don't know how many times I have to tell you it wasn't a date. Caroline and I are just friends!" It was hard for him to say that, and Caroline couldn't help the disappointment that spread through her at his words. "Caroline, meet Kol. Kol, this is Caroline. You'll have to excuse his ways, he doesn't know how to behave," Klaus told Caroline.

"It's nice to meet you, Caroline." Kol took her hand in his and brought it up to his mouth before kissing her knuckles.

She laughed. "Oh, you're smooth, huh?"

Kol smiled back at her, but Klaus didn't like it too much. He glared at Kol, who raised his hands in surrender and backed off. Caroline just laughed again.

"What are you doing back already, Nik?" Rebekah joined the group. She had been upstairs. Then she noticed Caroline. "Oh, hi, Caroline. It's nice to see you again."

Caroline smiled at her. "Hi Rebekah, nice to see you too. Hopefully this time, it will be under better circumstances."

Rebekah nodded, not sure what she should and shouldn't say. "Why are you two here? I thought you were going out?"

"Caroline wanted to come here, so we brought food." Klaus lifted the food in affirmation.

"Hope you guys are hungry!" Caroline told them.

"Are you kidding? Kol is always hungry." Rebekah joked with them, getting a shrug out of Kol.

The four sat down to dinner at the rather large table in the dining room. Caroline took a spot beside Klaus, and Rebekah and Kol sat directly across from them. They used that time to get to know each other a little better. Caroline already could tell that Kol was the mischievous one in the group. Rebekah always said what was on her mind, and Caroline could tell that she was protective over her brothers even if they did make her angry at times. There was a lot of laughing going on at that table, but Caroline noticed that Klaus never really laughed with them. He would smile or give his signature smirk, but there was never a genuine laugh that night. It worried Caroline, but she didn't want to bring it up in front of his siblings.

Klaus's cell phone rang while they were still at the table.

"Really, Nik? You couldn't have turned that thing off until we were finished?" Rebekah reprimanded him.

He gave her a stern look before looking at the screen on his phone. "I have to take this. Excuse me." He stood and disappeared out of the room with the phone to his ear.

"Must be Katherine." Rebekah rolled her eyes, and Kol laughed.

"Oh, you guys know Katherine?" Caroline couldn't help but ask.

"Unfortunately," Rebekah replied.

Kol laughed at her again. "Careful, sister. You don't want Niklaus getting angry at you again."

"What's wrong with her?" Caroline frowned.

"You haven't met her?" Kol asked. Caroline shook her head. "Probably a good thing, really. She seems to be the jealous type."

"Be happy you haven't met her. She's absolutely dreadful. She's always needing Nik to do something for her or give her money so she can do this or that. I don't know why he puts up with it," Rebekah explained.

Klaus came in, clearing his throat. "Are you done discussing my relationship, Rebekah?"

Rebekah looked down at her lap. She looked like a little kid who had been scolded.

Klaus didn't wait for Rebekah to respond. "Katherine is on her way over. I just wanted to let you all know."

Everything was quiet after that. Rebekah looked ashamed, Kol was trying to hide the smirk on his face, Klaus didn't want to meet Caroline's gaze, and Caroline didn't know what to say.

Finally, Caroline broke the silence. "You know, maybe I should just go. I can get Kol or Rebekah to take me home." She really didn't want to be here with Klaus AND Katherine. She didn't want to see them together.

"No, don't go. We were supposed to be celebrating your new job." Klaus told her, but he didn't know if he wanted her there with Katherine either if he was being honest. He knew that it would be obvious that he was more attracted to Caroline, but he didn't want Caroline to leave.

Caroline didn't know what to say. She wanted to stay with him, but that meant having to be friendly with Katherine. In the end, her desire to be with him outweighed her feelings toward Katherine. "Okay, but only if you're sure. I don't want to be a burden."

"You're never a burden, love." Klaus told her.

Rebekah and Kol sat in their chairs, listening to and watching the exchange between Klaus and Caroline. They both looked at each other, each sensing the attraction between their brother and the blonde. _They why is he with that awful Katherine?_ Rebekah wondered to herself. It just didn't make sense to either one of the siblings.

Before Klaus or Caroline could say another word, the doorbell rang. This was it. Caroline was about to come face to face with Katherine, and she didn't know how she going to handle it. She was already growing suspicious about Katherine just using Klaus after what Rebekah had told her. This was going to be interesting…

**In the next chapter, Caroline will be meeting Katherine! Thanks for reading :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello! Thank you to everyone reading, favoriting, and following this story! **

**First off, I want to apologize to Lisa! Your review was still in my "moderate review" tab, and I'm so sorry I missed you on my last note! Thank you so much for your continued support and sweet reviews!**

**For chapter 7: Thank you Pinkgem22, Heidiionaanita, jessnicole, Aaaammber, and Lisa for your continued support and reviews! And to a new guest that reviewed!**

**To Nik: You gave me an idea that I think I'm going to incorporate into the story if I can figure it out, so thank you! As for Caroline calling him Nik, I think you will be pleased with this chapter :) thank you for reading and reviewing!**

**I hope you guys like this chapter! I know there isn't much Katherine/Caroline interaction, but Katherine is definitely not going to be a big part of this story! I'm keeping some things similar to TVD as you'll see when you read, so I hope you enjoy! Happy reading…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or any of its characters…**

Klaus left the room so he could answer the door. Kol and Rebekah both looked at Caroline.

"If she asks, you're my friend." Rebekah told Caroline. She knew how much Caroline meant to Klaus, and she didn't know if he would be stupid enough to lose her because of Katherine.

"Do you think she would be that mad?" Caroline became even more nervous at that point.

"Better safe than sorry, right?" Kol added to the conversation.

Rebekah led the group into the living room, which meant that they had to pass by Klaus and Katherine. Caroline couldn't avoid seeing Katherine in Klaus's embrace as she entered the room. Her eyes immediately went to the floor as jealousy struck her hard right in the gut. She remembered how it felt to be in his arms, and she missed it. What shocked her the most though, was that Katherine was the girl she saw Klaus talking to at Hayley's party. She was tall with dark brown hair, brown eyes, olive skin, and a figure that Caroline would love to have. She was basically the complete opposite of Caroline, which bothered Caroline because she thought Klaus would never be attracted to her after seeing Katherine. Then another thought came to mind. If she would have just let Klaus come and check on her that night, he never would have stayed there talking to Katherine. Maybe then, she would have been the one in his arms right now.

"Katherine," Rebekah acknowledged her as the trio was passing through.

"Rebekah," Katherine smirked at her. "Oh, and if it isn't Kol." Kol must have caused Katherine more trouble than they told Caroline.

Kol smiled at her, but he didn't make a remark which surprised Caroline.

"Who's this?" Katherine noticed Caroline, and from the sound of her voice she didn't like seeing some strange girl in her boyfriend's home. She looked Caroline up and down, as if checking to see if she was competition.

"This is…" Klaus started but Rebekah interrupted him.

"This is my friend, Caroline. Caroline, this is Katherine," Rebekah introduced the two. Caroline held out her hand, waiting for Katherine to shake it, but she didn't make any moves. Caroline pulled her hand back.

"It's nice to meet you," Caroline forced a smile and looked at Klaus. Klaus wouldn't look at her.

"Yeah, well I won't be staying long," Katherine turned back to Klaus.

"Well, we are going to my room, anyway. Take all the time you need." Rebekah grabbed Caroline's arm and started leading her towards her bedroom upstairs. Kol had already disappeared. Caroline figured he went to his room as well.

"I can't stand that girl!" Rebekah said as she closed the door behind them. "I have no idea what Nik sees in her!" She took a seat on her bed, so Caroline followed her action.

Caroline was quiet. She didn't know what to say. She felt strange. Part of her was hurt because she didn't want to see Klaus with someone else. Another part was worried that Katherine was just using Klaus for something. Then there was a small part of her that blamed herself because she pushed him away that night.

"Caroline, are you alright?" Rebekah broke Caroline out of her thoughts.

Caroline nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking."

"About what?" Rebekah prodded.

"I can't help but feel like I'm the reason that Klaus is with Katherine," she admitted.

Rebekah's face showed her confusion. "What are you talking about?"

Caroline briefly explained the night of the party. "I didn't want to lose my boyfriend, ex-boyfriend now, so I pushed Klaus away. I saw them together the night of the party, and they are still together."

"I don't think Nik likes her as much as you think. Something is causing him to hold onto her, and I can't figure it out just yet." Rebekah could guess that Klaus had feelings for Caroline, but that didn't explain why he would stay with Katherine. "Nik isn't really the relationship type," she added.

"What do you mean?" Caroline frowned.

"I could tell you about our life growing up, but it isn't very pleasant. I think that's why we all have commitment issues to be honest."

"I would like to know, but only if you want to tell me." Caroline's heart began to race. What could be that terrible?

"Well, I'm sure Nik told you that we grew up in London most of our lives." Caroline nodded, so Rebekah continued. "Not long after Nik turned eleven, our father found out that he wasn't his biological son. He was so angry that he began drinking heavily. He started coming home completely wasted and would start yelling at our mother, asking her if any of the rest of us weren't his. We didn't understand what he meant at the time, but it soon became obvious. Eventually, yelling at her wasn't enough, so he began yelling at Nik." Rebekah was lost in an entirely different world by this time in her story. "Elijah would try to step in, but that just got him yelled at as well. We could all deal with the yelling, but then it got to where he began hitting Nik. None of us could understand it because it wasn't Nik's fault, but that didn't matter to him. It was like he had forgiven my mother, and took it out on Nik instead. Elijah tried to protect Nik, but it didn't help. They would both get beaten. When it became too much, and I was beginning to fear for Nik's life, I tried to protect him as well. He pushed me out of the way every time, taking the hits again and again. I would cry and beg my father to stop, but he wouldn't. One night when our father, Michael, was really drunk, he said some of the harshest words that I had ever heard him say to Nik. As he kicked Nik in the ribs he told him, 'All I see when I look at you is your real father.' Poor Nik was heartbroken. I don't think I will ever forget the expression I saw on his face that night. We never knew who Nik's real father was. My mother never told anyone else, and my father wanted to keep it a secret so people wouldn't know that his wife cheated on him. The beatings continued until Nik was about 16. By that time, Nik was as tall as Michael, so Michael chose not to mess with him. Ever since that happened Nik has had trust issues. His whole life had been a lie, and when the truth came out he suffered for it. I don't even know everything that Michael told him through the years. Nik would always tell me to leave if I was in the room with him when father came home. I'm sure he still remembers them like they were yesterday. As for the rest of us, we saw someone that we loved and trusted completely change from one day to the next. I don't think any of us have really ever gotten over it. But I think you know how the story ends. Our parents passed away in a car accident when I was 16 and Nik was 18." Rebekah was so lost in her memories that she hadn't felt Caroline grab her hand while she was talking. She also didn't notice that Caroline had tears rolling down her face.

"Oh, I didn't mean to make you cry!" Rebekah told Caroline as she squeezed her hand.

"I know. I'm sorry. It's just that I can't imagine why anyone would do that to their child. Michael raised Nik, I mean Klaus. It shouldn't matter if they shared blood or not." Caroline's heart was broken. She had no idea Klaus had gone through so much in his lifetime.

"I'm not surprised that Nik didn't tell you any of that. He has this wall that he won't let down. He's determined to keep everyone out." Rebekah shook her head. "I think the rest of us at least try to have normal relationships, but Nik struggles. I think he's scared to let anyone get too close."

There was a light knock on the door. "Come in," Rebekah called out as Caroline tried to wipe the tears off of her face.

The door slowly opened and Klaus stepped into the room. When he saw that Caroline had been crying, he immediately began to worry. "What's wrong?" He asked as he began walking towards Caroline.

"Oh, it's nothing." Caroline told him. "We were just talking."

"Are you sure?" Klaus never took his eyes off of Caroline.

She smiled. "I'm positive. Is everything okay with Katherine?" She was trying to at least act like she didn't dislike the girl.

Klaus stiffened. "She just needed some money to get her car fixed. Something like the transmission was about to go out."

Caroline and Rebekah glanced at each other before both their eyes landed on Klaus again. "You didn't give her any money did you?" Caroline asked.

"Of course I did. She has to have some means of transportation," he explained like it was no big deal.

"How much did you give her, Nik?" Rebekah was just as shocked as Caroline.

"Just fifteen hundred dollars," he stated.

"Fifteen hundred?!" Both girls asked at the same time. "Are you crazy?" Caroline added.

"What would you have me do, love? Let her walk?" He seemed to only want to communicate with Caroline if possible.

"There are these awesome things called buses. I'm sure she's smart enough to figure out how to use one until she can get her own money." Caroline snapped.

Klaus had never heard her be so sarcastic before. He was actually shocked. Rebekah laughed behind Caroline.

"Let's just forget about it alright? It's done." Klaus was done talking about Katherine. "Would you like me to take you home? It's getting late."

Caroline looked down at her watch. He was right, it was almost eleven o'clock. "Oh, yeah. I should probably get home." She stood from the bed and turned towards Rebekah, who was also standing now. She hugged her, which surprised Klaus. Rebekah usually didn't make friends so easily, especially not friends that were girls. "Thank you for explaining things to me," she whispered in Rebekah's ear.

"Thank you for caring about my brother," Rebekah whispered back.

Rebekah and Caroline finished saying their goodbyes, and Caroline followed Klaus into the hallway. She then yelled goodbye to Kol, not really sure where he was at. He stuck his head out of one of the other doorways and smiled.

"Goodbye, Caroline. It was a pleasure to meet you."

"You too, Kol," Caroline smiled back.

When they got in the car Klaus started the conversation immediately. "I'm so sorry about tonight, love. I had no idea Katherine was going to show up. This night was supposed to be for you."

She shook her head. "Don't apologize. I had fun. I'm so glad I finally got to meet Kol and really talk with Rebekah. However, I want you to promise me one thing."

Klaus's eyes were on the road as he drove. "Anything."

"Be careful," she stated.

At that, his head turned towards her. "What do you mean?"

"Just be careful with Katherine. Don't let her take advantage of you."

Klaus groaned. "Let me guess, you don't like her either."

"I don't know her, so I am not saying that I don't like her. I just don't want her using you," she explained.

He nodded, eyes back on the road. "Alright." He remembered walking into Rebekah's bedroom and seeing her wiping her eyes. "What were you and Rebekah talking about?" He asked, changing the subject.

"Oh, just life." She told him, not wanting to explain that Rebekah told her all about the abuse. That was too heavy for right now.

"Why won't you tell me?" He asked, sensing that she was hiding something.

"Because right now, I just don't want to talk about it," she answered, truthfully.

He nodded, accepting her answer. When they pulled up into her driveway she noticed that her mother still wasn't home. _She was right about having to work late_, Caroline thought to herself.

"You want to come in and watch a movie?" Caroline asked Klaus as she was exiting the car.

He looked at the time on his dashboard before agreeing. "Sure, why not." He smiled. He turned off the engine and followed her into the house.

"Why don't you pick out a movie? I'm going to run upstairs and change really quickly." Caroline told him, pointing to where they kept their DVD stash.

"Is there anything in particular that you would like to watch?" He asked her as she ran up the stairs.

"Nope, pick whatever you want." She yelled back down. She went to her dresser drawers and tried to find some acceptable pajamas. She pulled out a pair of baby blue shorts and a Mystic Falls t-shirt. She was going for comfort. She changed quickly and then headed down the stairs, taking two at a time. "Find anything good?" She asked him as she joined him on the couch.

"I found Great Expectations." He admitted with a smile on his face.

"Really? That must be one of my mom's," she teased.

"Then your mom must have really great taste."

"Eh, it's okay. Nothing to brag about." She joked again, trying to get him to laugh, but he wouldn't. "Nik?" He stiffened on the couch next to her. Her eyes widened. "I'm sorry. It just slipped out, probably because I heard Rebekah call you that all night."

He smiled again and shook his head. "It's alright, love. I just wasn't expecting it. No one calls me Nik anymore but Rebekah. But you're more than welcome to call me that as well. It sounds good coming from you."

Caroline felt like she stepped over the line. Like maybe no one called him that but his family. "Are you sure?"

He took one of her hands in his and squeezed it. "I am positive. Now what were you going to ask me?"

"Oh, yeah," she had forgotten she was even going to ask him anything. "Why do you look so unhappy tonight? You aren't laughing at my stupid jokes or anything." She wore a concerned expression.

He looked down at his hands that were intertwined in his lap. "I didn't notice, to be honest."

"Hey," Caroline turned his face so he was looking at her. "What's wrong? And don't say that it's nothing, because I know you well enough to know that something's not right."

"I guess I'm just frustrated," he admitted.

"Why are you frustrated?"

_Because I'm in a relationship with someone that I don't even care for, so I can try to prevent myself from caring too much for you. Because it's not working! Because I want to be with you, but you just seem to want to be my friend. Because I care about you so much, and I'm scared that if I was with you, you would change and become someone that hated me like my father did. _Nik thought all of these things, but couldn't tell her any of them which just frustrated him more. He got off the couch and started pacing the floor.

"Nik, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to," Caroline worried that she had made him mad. "Sit down, let's just watch the movie." She patted the cushion beside her.

He looked at it for a minute before he decided to take a seat. As long as he didn't have to tell her, it would be okay. The movie started to play, so they were both quiet. However, thirty minutes into the movie, Caroline had to say something.

"Nik?" She said quietly.

"I thought we were going to watch the movie." He smirked.

"I'm sorry, but I wanted to ask you something. It's not about why you're frustrated," she quickly added.

He sighed. "Alright, go ahead."

"How in the world do you own a mansion?"

He laughed. _Finally!_ Caroline thought. "My parents were very wealthy, and when they passed their money was divided between all five of us. Kol, Rebekah, and I put some of our money together and bought the mansion. We figured that it would give us enough space to stay out of each other's hair. I don't know if you could tell tonight, but we don't always get along." He smirked as he said the last part. "Is that all, sweetheart?"

She smiled, leaning into his side. "Yes, that's all." She told him. "At least for now."

He laughed again. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into him. She laid her head on his shoulder. If anyone saw them at that moment they would say they were more than just friends, but Klaus didn't know what to think. He liked to think that Caroline liked him more than just a friend, but he didn't know if she did. He was also worried about pushing her too far after the whole Tyler incident. He usually wanted her to initiate the contact so he could be sure he wasn't crossing the line. She hadn't mentioned Tyler to him in weeks, but he couldn't help but wonder if that was why she was crying in Rebekah's room that night. He would have to remember to ask Rebekah about that at some point. And then there was Katherine. He would never cheat on Katherine, so if he ever wanted to be with Caroline, he was going to have to break it off with Katherine first. In the back of his mind he kind of knew Katherine was just using him. He wasn't stupid. But he was basically "using" her as well, so they were helping each other. However, she wasn't really helping him because she was supposed to keep him from wanting Caroline, even though she didn't know that, and that wasn't happening. It didn't help that he talked to Caroline more than he talked to Katherine, his _girlfriend_, either. It scared him that he cared about Caroline so much.

When the movie was over, he turned to look at Caroline. She had fallen asleep on his shoulder. He shook his head and smiled. He looked at his watch and realized it was after one a.m. He stood up as carefully as he could, trying not to jostle her too much. He slid one arm behind her head and the other behind her knees and pulled her to his chest. It felt good for her to be in his arms as he carried her up the stairs. He lightly kicked open her bedroom door, walked over to her bed, and laid her down on top of it. He covered her up, kissed her on the forehead, and walked out, closing the door behind him. He was concerned about leaving her home alone, but knew that her mom should be home soon. Nik locked the door on his way out, and drove home, thinking about Caroline the whole way.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hello lovely readers! :) I know I'm a day later than usual, but I've had stuff going on AND my internet went out. Sorry! But this chapter is a smidgen longer than the last ones, so hopefully that makes up for it a little bit :-P. First off, in this chapter a lot of the ****_italics_**** at the beginning are a text message conversation. Also, let me know if the whole Nik/Klaus thing is confusing. I feel weird saying Nik when it's not Caroline (or Rebekah) speaking to him for some reason. So if it's too confusing that I'm going back and forth, please let me know!**

**Now on to my sweet reviewers! Thank you jessnicole, Pinkgem22, Heidiionaanita, Sarah.A.A, and bridgetzombie!**

**Lisa: Elijah will most likely show up later on in the story, but I haven't decided about Finn yet. To be honest, I wasn't a big fan of Finn, haha, but I like Elijah! At this moment in time (not making any promises because things could change), something happens that will almost definitely bring Elijah to his siblings, but I haven't really decided 100% about Finn. I hope that helps. Thank you for your continued support and reviews! :)**

**Thank you to everyone who has followed and favorited this story! You guys are awesome! I hope you enjoy this chapter. Happy reading….**

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or its characters…**

Caroline woke up the next morning in her bed, trying to remember how she had gotten there. She tried to remember exactly what she was doing last night, and when she recalled watching a movie with Klaus she smiled. _I must have fallen asleep and he carried me upstairs_, she thought to herself. She was slightly disappointed that she had really been asleep and not faking it. She would have liked to remember what it felt like to be in his arms again. She checked her phone before she got out of bed. She had a text message from Bonnie.

**_Are we still on for today?_** Her best friend asked. Caroline had forgotten that she told them they would celebrate today. She couldn't turn them down again.

_Sure, what time?_ She replied.

**_1? At the Grill?_** Bonnie sent back.

_Sounds good. See you then._ Caroline replied before she created a new message to send to Klaus.

_I'm sorry for falling asleep on you last night :),_ she hit send.

She had just gotten up and went to the restroom to start getting ready for the day when her phone beeped, letting her know she had gotten a message. She smiled as she read it.

**_It was quite alright, love. At least I got to finish the movie without any more interruptions ;)_**

Caroline couldn't help but laugh. _Well thank you for not leaving me on the couch._

**_What plans do you have for the day?_**

_The Grill with Bon and Elena, and then nothing. You?_ Caroline gave up on trying to get ready for the time being and laid across her bed, intending to carry on the conversation with Klaus for as long as possible.

**_A little bit of painting this afternoon._**

_Would you like to do something later?_ Caroline was worried after she sent the message that maybe he would think she was being too clingy, but it was too late to take it back.

**_Sure, text me when you get home._**

_I will :) Have fun painting! _She jumped up and went to the bathroom, but not before seeing his simple reply:

**_;)_**

She picked out a simple pale yellow skirt that flowed and went to about mid-thigh, a navy blouse, and a navy bowler hat. She put on her usual natural make up and curled her blond hair. It was already Saturday, and she started her new job on Monday. She couldn't believe it, but that meant she would need to go shopping soon. She needed more work appropriate clothing. She knew that today was not going to be the day for that though. She picked out a purse that matched her outfit, added her money, credit cards, and driver's license. She looked at her watch and realized that she was already running late. She should have left her house ten minutes ago.

"Crap!" She said out loud as she grabbed her phone, her car keys, and ran out the door.

When Caroline pulled up to The Grill she saw that both Bonnie's and Elena's cars were already there. She hoped they wouldn't be too annoyed at her. Besides, she was usually the early one, and Elena was usually the one that was always late. When Caroline entered the restaurant, her friends waved at her so she could find them quickly. She smiled and waved back as she made her way over to them.

"Hey guys! I'm so sorry I am late. I completely lost track of time."

"It's okay," Bonnie smiled. "We didn't order you anything because we weren't exactly sure what you would want." While Bonnie was talking, the waiter showed up at their table, giving the two girls their drinks.

_Good! Maybe they haven't been here that long,_ Caroline thought to herself. She looked up at the waiter and her eyes widened. "Matt?"

He smiled, "Hey Care."

"Since when do you work here?" She couldn't hide the shock on her face.

He shrugged, "I started about a week or two ago. Have to pay the bills somehow," he explained.

Caroline nodded. She wondered if Matt was having a hard time finding a job because of his major choice. To be honest, she couldn't even remember what it was, but she knew that Mystic Falls wasn't the best place for a variety of opportunities. "I'd like a water," she wanted to change the subject before it got even more awkward.

"Alright, I'll be right back." With that, Matt left the girls.

"How did I not know that he was working here?" Caroline thought out loud. "Did you two know?"

Bonnie and Elena exchanged glances before they both nodded.

Caroline rolled her eyes. "What do you want to say?"

"Well, Care, it's just that you haven't been around much lately," Elena explained, while Bonnie became too interested in her drink.

Caroline looked back and forth between her two friends. "I'm sorry guys, but I've been busy!"

"Not too busy for that Klaus guy," Elena mumbled.

"Seriously?" Caroline asked, exasperated. Matt chose that time to bring her water out. "I can't help it that Nik has been there for me through everything with Tyler, and after, and finding a job."

"Because you didn't let us be there for you, Care!" Bonnie added to the conversation.

Caroline looked up and realized that Matt was still standing there. That frustrated her even more because Matt hadn't been friendly with her lately. "Could you please go?" Caroline snapped at him, not intending to be so rude, but he took the hint and left. She turned back to her friends. "All you had to do was call."

Bonnie sighed. "Let's just forget about it, okay? You're here now."

Caroline nodded, and the girls began looking at their menus. After they ordered their meals, Bonnie decided to initiate the conversation, trying to release the tension of the group. "So tell us about your new job, Care."

Caroline's face instantly brightened. "Well, I don't know much yet, but it's called Mystic Interiors." Caroline began to fill her friends in on all the details she could. The rest of their meal went smoothly. None of them wanted to make it awkward again, so they all kept the conversation light. After they finished eating, they were all headed out to their cars when the two girls stopped Caroline.

"Hey, Caroline, I almost forgot to ask you about tonight. Elena, Damon, Jeremy, and I are going to a concert. We wanted to know if you wanted to go with us," Bonnie stated.

"Um…" Caroline didn't really want to bring Klaus up again, but she had already made plans. "I already told Nik that we would do something."

There was a brief pause before Bonnie spoke again. "He can come too." Elena nodded, showing she agreed with Bonnie.

"Okay," Caroline smiled. She was glad her friends would at least give Klaus a chance. "I'll ask him and let you guys know."

The girls all hugged and said their goodbyes before getting into their own cars and going in different directions. Caroline didn't know if Klaus would even want to go with her friends, but she knew she would like it if they could all be friends. Then, she wouldn't have to be split between the two.

Caroline decided that instead of going home, she was going to go to Klaus's house. She hoped she wouldn't be intruding. She knew she would be fine with it if he just showed up at her house. They were friends after all; probably what you would call close friends. When she pulled into the driveway, she noticed that the only vehicle in the driveway was Klaus's. She knew that Rebekah and Kol drove their own expensive cars, but Klaus's was the only one that was black. She parked her car behind his and jumped out, eager to see him.

After she knocked, she was standing at the door for what felt like the longest three minutes of her life. She was beginning to wonder if anyone was home when she heard footsteps coming towards her from inside the house. The door swung open, and Klaus looked surprised.

"Caroline?" He had paint all over his gray t-shirt and jeans. He didn't have shoes on, and his hair looked like he had just rolled out of bed.

Caroline smiled. "I hope it's okay that I just dropped by. I was done with Bonnie and Elena, and you and I had made plans for later so I just came over," she was rambling, beginning to get more and more nervous that he wasn't inviting her in.

His face broke into a smile when she realized that she was mumbling and sealed her lips tightly. "It's perfectly fine. Come on in." He stepped aside to let her enter the mansion.

"Are you sure? I can just go home. I just thought…"

He cut her off. "Caroline, it's fine. I just wasn't expecting anyone, so you'll have to forgive me for looking like a mess." He looked down at his clothes.

She smiled as she took in his appearance. If she was being honest, she liked the way he looked in that moment. Especially in his tight gray t-shirt. When she realized that she had been staring way too long and saw the smirk spread across his face, she quickly looked away. "You're crazy. You've seen me look a whole lot worse."

"I would have to disagree. I've never seen you look anything but beautiful, love." His smirk was still plastered on his face, but it grew, bringing out his dimples.

Caroline blushed and looked at her feet. "So what have you been working on?" She was grasping for anything to change the subject.

"Follow me," Klaus told her as he began walking to a room in the house that she had never been in before. "I haven't finished it," he called over his shoulder.

Caroline followed him into what she could only guess was his studio. She looked around at the various paintings on the walls. "Did you paint all of these?" She asked as she took in landscapes from Paris and Greece, among many others.

"Yes, I did most of the ones on the walls a few years ago." He had stopped in front of an easel that had a large canvas balanced on it.

"These are amazing," Caroline couldn't help but be drawn in by all of the different paintings. They looked so realistic, every brush stroke placed perfectly.

He smiled. "I'm glad you like them. This is the latest one I've been working on," he motioned to the canvas.

Caroline gasped. The way the wild horses were running through an open field was almost like a photograph. The breeze was blowing through their manes and tails. They looked gentle but wild at the same time, like she could walk up and pet one, but knew that it was wise not to. The realistic features astonished her. "Nik, this is incredible." She was so close to the painting, and still couldn't see a flaw. The only thing that she could see that wasn't finished was the open field.

"So you like horses?" He asked her, his own face beaming at the admiration in her expression.

She looked at him and smiled. "Yes, I love horses."

"Well then, you can have this one when I'm finished."

Caroline shook her head. "No, I couldn't. Nik, these should be in a gallery somewhere."

"No one every sees my work. Sure, I had to turn in things for college, but it wasn't this type of art. It was mostly simplistic things," he explained.

"Wait!" Caroline's eyes widened in shock. "You're telling me that not even Kol or Rebekah has seen any of these?"

"I keep them in here for a reason, love."

"That's crazy! You are an amazing artist." She thought he was one of the best artists that she had ever seen, and she felt special that he allowed her to see his masterpieces.

He smiled at her. "Thank you. So, what would you like to do today? After I get cleaned up, of course."

Caroline didn't know how to casually bring up the concert, so she just told him point blank. "Well, Bonnie, Elena, Damon, and Jeremy are going to a concert tonight and they invited us. We don't have to go if you don't want to, though. I told them I had plans already."

"Ah," he could tell that she really wanted to go. "Aren't they all couples?" He knew of them only because Caroline mentioned them at times.

Caroline blushed again. "Well, yes, but they know that you and I are just friends." Caroline thought to herself for a minute. "You know what, we shouldn't go. I don't want to hurt Katherine's feelings if it somehow gets around that we went with them."

"Oh…" Klaus hesitated.

"What is it?" Caroline asked. She knew he was keeping something from her.

He shrugged. "It's just that Katherine and I aren't together anymore."

"What?!" Caroline practically shrieked. "You were just together last night!"

"I know, but I started thinking about what you and Rebekah said, and I realized that she liked my money, not me." He didn't tell her that he had actually talked to Rebekah, and Rebekah told him that she was almost positive that Caroline had feelings for him that were much stronger than just friendship. Or that Katherine didn't really believe that Caroline was Rebekah's friend, and she was starting to get suspicious, which just annoyed him. He didn't feel like putting up with a jealous girlfriend that he didn't even care for that much.

"Oh," Caroline was secretly jumping for joy on the inside. "I'm sorry. Maybe we should just stay in tonight. You probably don't feel like going out."

He laughed at her. "Caroline, I'm perfectly fine. It wasn't serious between me and Katherine." He walked closer to Caroline so he could look her straight in the eyes. "I would love to go to the concert with you and your friends."

She smiled. "Really?"

He nodded.

"Yay! I'll text Bonnie and tell her." She ran over to her purse, fished out her cell phone, and texted Bonnie. Klaus just laughed behind her and picked up his paint brush again.

Caroline sat on the couch in his studio watching him paint while she was receiving all the information from Bonnie. Apparently, there was going to be a band playing at a little stadium on the outskirts of town. None of them were familiar with the band, but they just wanted to go for the live music. Plus, it was free, which was always good. After getting all the information, she focused on Klaus as he painted. She was entranced by him making brush strokes that looked so random, but fit perfectly. He made it look so easy.

"Would you like to try?" He looked over his shoulder, noticing that she was staring.

She shook her head. "No way. I'd mess it up, and it's so beautiful."

"There's no way you could mess it up, sweetheart."

She laughed. "You've never seen me try to draw or paint anything."

Before he could reply Rebekah yelled from a different part of the house before they heard the front door slam. "Nik, I'm home."

He glanced at the door, but then looked back at Caroline. "Another time, then."

She rolled her eyes, but smiled. "Sure, another time." She looked at her watch. "You need to go take a shower anyway. We need to leave soon." She walked over to him, and laughed. "You have paint all over you." Before she thought, she reached her hand up and used her thumb to try to wipe some paint off of his cheek. Her smile fell from her face when she felt the spark from their contact, both of their expressions serious now. Her thumb stopped moving, but her hand never left his face. Their bodies were so close that they could feel the other's breath. His hand moved to her neck, his thumb grazing the side of her jaw. His eyes kept flickering to her lips. His head began inching closer and closer to her face. In response, her eyes began to shut automatically as her head tilted upwards.

"Nik?" Rebekah called again, but this time she was at the door to the studio and she knocked.

Caroline and Klaus jumped apart. Klaus almost growled as he turned towards the door. "I'm in here, Rebekah. I'll be out in a minute."

"Alright, alright," Caroline and Klaus heard her mumble as she walked away from the door.

"We should probably…" Caroline pointed towards the doorway, barely meeting Klaus's gaze.

"Yes, of course. Like you said before, I need to get in the shower anyway."

Caroline opened the door, needing to get out of that room. She had wanted to kiss him so badly. But then again, she didn't want to ruin her relationship with Klaus. She sighed as she made her way into the living room, looking for Rebekah. Klaus had gone upstairs to get ready for the concert.

"Hey, Caroline. I didn't know you were here." Rebekah walked up behind Caroline, coming from the kitchen.

Caroline spun around, cheeks still flushed from her encounter with the older Mikaelson. "Uh, yeah. Nik and I are going to a concert later."

Rebekah noticed the blonde's rosy cheeks. "Did I interrupt something?" Her face became skeptical.

Caroline shook her head quickly. "No, no, of course not. I was watching Nik paint." She tried to defend herself.

"Oh, okay." Rebekah said, but she obviously didn't believe Caroline, which made Caroline blush even more.

"Can we just talk about something else?" Caroline finally asked, feeling flustered.

Rebekah laughed. "Sure, let's go have a seat."

The girls sat and chatted until they heard Klaus come down the stairs. They both glanced towards the stairwell when they heard his footsteps. Caroline's face automatically flushed again when she saw him saunter down the steps with his wet hair, black shirt, and jeans. _This is going to be a long night,_ she thought to herself.

Klaus and Caroline decided to take his car to meet her friends. When they pulled up to the stadium Bonnie and Jeremy were already there, but Elena and Damon hadn't arrived yet. Caroline could feel Klaus's arm brushing against hers as they made their way to the entrance. It took everything in Klaus not to reach down and grab her hand. When the two found Jeremy and Bonnie waiting outside, Caroline ran up and hugged her best friend. She then proceeded to introduce Klaus to them. She chose to introduce him as Klaus, feeling like only she and his family should be allowed to call him Nik. Jeremy and Bonnie were both friendly, which calmed some of the nerves Caroline had had about introducing Klaus to her friends. However, Damon hadn't arrived yet, and he was the one that Caroline was the most nervous about. She knew how bold he could get with people. The four made small talk for about ten minutes before Elena and Damon finally arrived. Again, Caroline introduced Klaus to her other two friends. Luckily, Damon was being friendly, which Caroline decided was probably because Elena lectured him about it on the way over. Whatever the reason though, she was grateful.

The six entered the stadium, realizing that if they stayed on the floor level, there wouldn't be any chairs. They all decided that was fine. None of them minded sitting in the grass if they wanted to sit down. Damon and Jeremy were trying their best to include Klaus in their conversations, trying to avoid the topics that would exclude him. The girls were chatting as well, but Caroline would sneak a peek at Klaus every once in a while to make sure that he didn't feel uncomfortable. As far as she could tell he was enjoying himself. He would smile at her when he caught her looking, which only made her blush. _I have to get over that almost kiss. It wasn't even an actual kiss!_ Caroline thought to herself. While the group was conversing, the band came out onto the stage. Caroline noticed that the stadium was crowded, but not too bad. She figured the band must not have been that well known.

The band was really good. The group came to the conclusion that they had to be a pop band, but they were unique. As fast song after fast song played, all the girls were up dancing together, acting silly, while the boys sat on the grass, watching the girls and enjoying the music. Klaus couldn't help but smile as he watched Caroline. He hadn't seen her that happy since everything happened with Tyler. Then again, he wondered if he had ever seen her that happy. Every so often, he would catch her gaze and she would try to get him to join, but he always shook his head. Then, a slow song came on. The girl's dancing stopped as they tried to catch their breath. Bonnie grabbed Jeremy, pulling him to his feet so he would dance with her. He immediately wrapped his arms around her, and she laid her head on his chest as they swayed to the music. Right after that, Elena followed suit, pulling Damon to his feet. Caroline felt awkward as she watched her four friends. She didn't want to make Klaus feel uncomfortable, so she decided to take a seat on the grass beside him.

"Are you finished dancing?" Klaus had to lean into her, putting his mouth almost against her ear so she could hear him over the music.

She smiled and shook her head, not even attempting to talk over the speakers.

"Then why did you sit down? You were having so much fun." He asked. She gave him a confused expression as he stood up. He held out his hand to her.

Her smile returned as she placed her hand in his, allowing him to pull her off of the ground. She automatically fell into his arms, his hand never letting go of hers. His other arm wrapped around her waist, as her free arm looped around his shoulder. She noticed that as they swayed to the music, the group was getting further and further apart. As the song continued to play, Klaus let go of her hand and wrapped his other arm around her waist as well, pulling her closer to him. Her arms went around his neck as she glanced up at his face. She studied his expression, wondering what he was thinking. They were both struggling to control their emotions. As if Klaus finally became exhausted, he rested his forehead against hers. Their eyes seemed to be carrying a conversation all on their own. Caroline couldn't help but bite her bottom lip, as Klaus's gaze kept wavering towards her mouth. She didn't know she was breaking down his restraint.

"You have no idea how badly I want to kiss you right now, love," Klaus said to her, his gaze fixed on hers.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Caroline smiled.

She didn't need to say any more. Klaus pulled her body as close to his as possible and his lips pressed against hers. Her arms wrapped tighter around his neck, pulling him closer as she deepened the kiss. _This is what a kiss is supposed to feel like_, she thought to herself, as their lips moved together in perfect synchronization.


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello my lovely readers! Thank you to everyone who is following this story and adding it to their favorites! I'm going to keep this author's note fairly short so….**

**Thank you so much to all of my wonderful reviewers! Thank you for the continued support and feedback! **

**bridgetzombie: I'm going to try to keep it pretty slow :) Thank you for the kind words and support!**

**I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Happy reading…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or its characters…**

Klaus and Caroline spent the rest of the night dancing with each other. It didn't matter whether it was a slow song or a fast song; they still swayed to the music as if the tempo never became upbeat. They talked every now and then, but mostly they remained in a comfortable silence, content in the other's arms. When the music stopped and the band said their goodnights, the couple reluctantly let each other go. They decided that it would be best to act as if nothing happened around Caroline's friends in order to avoid the questions. However, they stayed in close contact, their arms grazing constantly. They walked back to the place where they had all originally started from at the beginning of the concert.

"There you guys are! Where have you been?" Bonnie asked as she saw her best friend approaching.

"We were just back there," Caroline pointed behind her. "We just kind of drifted that way."

Bonnie gave her a questioning glance, but decided to drop it. "Well are you ready to go?"

Caroline nodded. "Yeah, whenever you guys are."

Damon had his arm slung over Elena's shoulders, and Jeremy had taken Bonnie's hand as they all walked out of the stadium. Caroline wanted so badly to entwine her fingers with Klaus' or for his arm to be over her shoulder, but she had to resist the temptation. She knew her friends would bombard her with questions because she and Klaus were supposed to be _just friends_. But in Caroline's defense, she thought that's all they were when she explained it to her two best friends. She sighed. As if Klaus could read her mind, he quickly took her hand in his, squeezed it reassuringly, and then dropped it before her friends could see. He understood why she didn't want them to show affection towards each other in front of her friends. She smiled back at him.

The friends all said their goodbyes before going their separate ways. Caroline had reluctantly made plans with Elena and Bonnie to go shopping the next day, her last day off. She would rather be spending the day with Klaus, but she knew that she needed new work clothes. Klaus was slightly disappointed when he heard her agree to the shopping trip, but he wouldn't tell her that.

When Klaus and Caroline were alone in Klaus' car, he immediately took her hand in his. She looked at him and laughed, but entangled her fingers in his. Klaus loved to hear that her laugh was so carefree. She sounded happy.

The car ride was silent for a while. They both knew that they should talk about what happened between them at the concert, but neither wanted to bring it up right then. They wanted to bask in the happiness of that night. However, Klaus noticed that Caroline had gotten really quiet and looked like she was worried about something. That began to concern him, but he knew that when she was ready, she would talk to him about whatever it was.

Caroline finally broke the silence. "I'm nervous about starting this new job. What if I mess up? Or what if I'm not good at it?"

Klaus squeezed her hand in his. He was relieved that she wasn't regretting what happened that night. "Everything is going to be perfectly fine, love. You are not going to mess up, and of course you are good at it. You graduated at the top of your class."

She sighed. "I don't know, Nik. This isn't about a grade anymore. These will be people that either love or hate what I do to their homes. If I mess up, I could be fired just like that," she snapped her fingers to emphasize her point. She kept her gazed fixed on her window.

"Sweetheart," Klaus waited until she looked at him. "You know what you are doing, and the company hired you on the spot. They liked you for a reason, so they won't fire you if you make one little mistake."

"It's not the one little mistake that I'm worried about. It's the huge mistake that I could make."

Klaus shook his head. "You are too stubborn," he smiled. "You will be perfect."

She couldn't help but smile back at his confidence in her. "You really think so?"

"I know so, and you know I'm never wrong." He smirked at her.

She laughed and playfully slapped his arm with her free hand. "You think you're hot stuff, huh?" She joked.

"You tell me."

She shrugged, "you're okay," she giggled. Then, it was his turn to laugh. "I'm kidding. You are pretty hot." She was glad that he couldn't see the goofy smile and blush that covered her face because it was so dark in the car.

His thumb began to sweep back and forth across her hand. "You are too, love."

Silence filled the car once more until Klaus realized that Caroline had driven to his house. "I almost took you straight home," he told her.

"Oh, go ahead and take me home if you don't mind. I can just have Elena or Bonnie pick me up tomorrow. They can drop me off at my car after we finish shopping. I don't really feel like driving home tonight." She also thought that would give her a good excuse to see him tomorrow.

"Alright." He stated as he drove in the direction of her home.

When they pulled up, Klaus chose to walk her to her front door. He had noticed that her mom's car was already in the driveway, which eased his mind that Caroline wouldn't be alone. When they made it to the front door, Caroline stopped and turned towards him.

"I had a really great time tonight. I don't think I have had that much fun in a while," she told him honestly.

He smiled, his dimples displayed. "I believe that was the most fun I've had in a while as well. I'm glad you invited me."

"Well I'm glad you came," she smiled.

Klaus automatically took a step closer to her, lifting his hand to stroke her cheek. She leaned into his hand. "Thank you for everything you've done…," she started, but Klaus' mouth crushing onto hers interrupted her sentence.

She pouted when he pulled away so quickly, which made him chuckle. "You don't have to thank me for anything, sweetheart."

She nodded, but was at a loss for words at the man in front of her.

"Goodnight, Caroline." He whispered as he began making his way down the porch steps.

"Goodnight, Nik." She watched him walk back to his car before she unlocked the front door and stepped inside.

* * *

Caroline woke up the next morning feeling like she hadn't gotten any sleep. It took her forever to fall asleep because all she could think about was everything that had happened that night. It was hard to wipe the smile from her face. As she was sitting up in her bed, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," she said, confused.

Bonnie walked in with Elena in tow. "Caroline, why aren't you ready?" Elena asked.

Caroline looked at the alarm clock beside her bed. It was already after 11 p.m., which meant she was very late. "Oh my gosh, I must have overslept. I'm so sorry guys. Give me ten minutes." Caroline jumped out of her bed, grabbed a maxi dress, and went straight to the bathroom.

Twelve minutes later, Caroline walked out ready to go. "Okay, let's go." She told her two friends who were now sitting on her bed.

The three girls drove to the nearest mall. They made small talk the entire way, which annoyed Caroline somewhat. She knew they were trying to be sensitive to her by staying away from the topic of guys, but that's what they used to always talk about on trips like these. However, before Klaus, she didn't want to even hear about guys, so she realized that she didn't have any reason to be annoyed. Her friends had no idea about her and Klaus, whatever they were, and she intended on keeping it that way at least for a while. In reality, they had no clue that it was okay to talk about their boyfriends again, so Caroline kept her mouth shut.

Caroline was the one that really needed to do the shopping. The other two were there to help her make decisions. As she came out in outfit after outfit, Bonnie started up a conversation.

"So, Care, are you excited about your new job?"

"Yeah, but I'm nervous," Caroline called from the dressing room.

"Don't be. You'll be great!" Elena chimed in from the chair beside Bonnie.

Caroline stepped out of her dressing room in a nice baby blue blouse with ruffles down the front and a black A-line skirt. "Thanks, that's what Nik keeps telling me too." She looked at herself in the mirror. "What about this outfit?"

Caroline didn't see Bonnie and Elena exchange a glance behind her. "Love it." Elena said as Bonnie nodded her head. "So, about you and Klaus," Elena started. "Where did you two really run off to the other night?"

Caroline rolled her eyes as she re-entered the dressing room to try on a different outfit. "We were exactly where I told you we were. We were just dancing and drifted off."

"Dancing together?" Elena prodded.

"Yes, Elena, together. You guys were dancing with your boyfriends, so Nik and I decided we didn't want to be left out. Is that okay?"

Elena and Bonnie laughed at Caroline's tone of voice. They could tell she was getting flustered. "Okay, okay. We were just wondering," Elena told her.

Caroline let out a sigh of relief when she realized that they were dropping the subject. She stepped out in a gray jacket and pant suit with a plum undershirt. "What do you guys think of this one?"

"Honestly, Care, you look great in whatever you try on. It's just going to come down to personal preference and what you feel most comfortable in." Bonnie told her.

Caroline had purchased seven knew outfits that could be mixed and matched with things she just bought as well as things she knew she had at home in her closet. Overall, she felt like she did good, and she felt like she would at least be well dressed if nothing else when she went into work. She asked Elena, who was driving, to drop her off at Klaus' house instead of hers, which resulted in another glance between her best friends. Caroline grumbled to herself, but didn't feel like explaining anything to them.

As she was getting out of the car, Caroline thanked her two friends for taking her shopping. She looked around the driveway and noticed that Klaus wasn't home alone. She knew at least one of his siblings was there. Elena drove away as Caroline was placing her bags inside of her own car. She decided that it would just be better to go on home instead of barging in on Klaus _again_. However, as she turned her key in the ignition, Klaus stepped out onto the front porch with a confused expression on his face. She turned off the motor again as he approached her vehicle and opened her car door.

"Were you not even going to say hello?" He attempted to say with a smirk on his face, but he couldn't hide his disappointment from her. She could read him very well.

She almost looked ashamed as she replied. "Well, I noticed that you weren't alone, and I didn't want to intrude."

He bent over so he was level with her, tucked his finger under her chin and lifted her face up towards his. "You are never intruding on me, sweetheart," he said right before he planted a kiss on her lips.

_Good one, Caroline. You almost missed getting to kiss him again_, she thought to herself. She smiled and bit her bottom lip as he pulled away from her.

"Now, what are you waiting for? Get inside, then." He didn't wait for her to react. Instead, he grabbed her hand and pulled her into his side which made her giggle. He wrapped his arm around her waist as he kissed her forehead. "I'm glad you're here." He whispered to her.

She wrapped her arms around his waist as they walked towards the door. "Me too."

They spent the rest of the evening laughing, playing games, and eating dinner with Kol and Rebekah. The time flew by, and before Caroline realized it, it was after 9 p.m. She knew that she had to get home and get ready for work the next day. Klaus walked her out to her car and kissed her goodnight before she drove away. He made her promise him that she would text him when she made it home, which she stayed true to her word.

_I made it. I had a lot of fun again tonight_. She sent to Klaus.

She went straight upstairs and took a shower. Then, she brushed her teeth and washed her face. As she crawled under her covers, she opened her messages to read Klaus' reply.

**_I did too. Good luck tomorrow. I know they will love you. Call me when you get off so I can hear all about it. _**

She smiled as she hit reply. _Thank you, and I will. Goodnight, Nik._

**_Sweet dreams, love._**

* * *

Caroline woke up to her alarm clock going off. She jumped out of bed and grabbed the blue blouse with the black skirt that she had tried on the day before. After applying her makeup and curling her hair, she picked out a pair of black pumps and headed out the door. She was proud of herself as she looked at the clock on her dashboard and realized that she was early. She pulled out of her driveway and drove in the direction of her new job.

Caroline was sent straight to her new boss, Carter Hastings, as soon as she arrived and explained to the secretary who she was.

"Ah, Caroline, welcome!" Carter looked up from his desk when Caroline entered the room.

"Hello, Mr. Hastings. Thank you so much." Caroline smiled.

"Please, allow me to show you around before this place starts getting too busy." His perfect smile beamed as he approached Caroline and motioned for her to follow him.

He showed her where the copy room was, where the secretary was located, although she already knew, and he even introduced her to a few of her new co-workers. They all seemed nice, which eased Caroline's nerves a little bit. He showed her where the staff ate lunch if they stayed at the office and where the vending machines were. Finally, he showed her what was most important to her: her office. She had her own little space. She didn't have her own room. It was more of a large cubicle, but it was hers. She had her own desk, phone, and computer; she could decorate it however she wanted. She was excited. She noticed that her cubicle was in between two others, so she would need to make it a point to meet the other two staff members.

"Well, that completes the tour, Caroline. If you have any more questions, I'm sure someone around here can help you. If not, I'm usually in my office." Carter's smile returned.

Caroline nodded. "Thank you, sir. I'm sure I can figure it all out."

"Alright," Carter stated as he made his way back towards his office.

Caroline immediately sat down in the swivel chair that was stationed in front of her computer. She turned on the computer and looked around as it booted up. She was actually here. Her career was finally starting. She wanted to jump up and down, but she couldn't. She didn't need people around here thinking she was crazy. As the day went on, she met her neighbors. One's name was Tammy and the other was Patricia, but she went by Tricia. Caroline could tell immediately that they were friends. They seemed almost inseparable. They both greeted Caroline, but it came off as forced rather than friendly. That worried Caroline because she did not want any workplace drama. She decided then and there that she was going to mind her own business.

On Caroline's lunch break, she called Klaus and filled him in on everything so far. She told him about her "office" and about the two girls that weren't so nice. She also told him how the boss personally gave her a tour and introduced her to some of her other co-workers who seemed much friendlier than Tricia and Tammy. He was happy for her, and made sure she knew that plenty of times before they hung up the phone. However, Caroline had no idea what was going to happen when she got back.

Carol Lockwood was talking to the secretary, demanding to see the boss. When Carter Hastings appeared, he greeted Carol by her first name. He knew her well since she was one of his biggest clients.

"What can I do for you today, Carol?" He asked.

"I need someone to help me redecorate some of my rooms," she told him.

"Okay, and when would you like this to take place?" He opened his appointment book to see when his staff was free.

"Now." She stated, without any room for discussion.

"Now?" He echoed. "There's just no way, Carol. Everyone I have is booked."

"It has to be now. I have family coming in in a couple of weeks, and the house must be finished."

He shook his head. "I'm sorry, Carol." He was scanning his appointment book. Then, he landed on the last name he had added. "The only person I have available is my newest employee, and she hasn't had any experience with us yet."

Carol sighed. "I guess she will just have to do. I don't have much choice in the matter, do I?"

"Are you sure? She has great potential, but I can't make any promises about the outcome."

"Yes, I am sure. I've got to do something." She told him.

He walked over to his secretary, telling her to call the employee to the front. Then, he made his way back to Carol. "She's on her way up." They waited until he saw her approaching. "Carol, I would like you to meet…"

"Caroline?!" Mrs. Lockwood's jaw dropped.

"Hello, Mrs. Lockwood." Caroline was confused. She hadn't been told what she was getting called to the front for.

"Oh, great! You two know each other." Carter smiled at the two of them.

Caroline and Carol both forced their smiles, trying to ignore the awkwardness that was taking over the room.

"Well, Caroline, Carol needs someone to redecorate some rooms for her as soon as possible. Everyone else is booked, so this is your first official task."

Caroline nodded, but inside she was yelling no, no, no! _Of all people! Tyler's mom? Really?_ She thought to herself.

"I'll let you two get to work," Carter walked away, leaving Caroline and Carol alone.

"Um, ok, so what exactly do you want to do to your house?" Caroline wanted to avoid any small talk. She wanted to get straight to business and get this meeting over with.

Carol felt the same way, so she jumped right in. "I want to redo the living room, the sitting area, and the downstairs bathroom."

"Alright," Caroline nodded as she jotted notes down in her notepad. "Any style preferences that you would like for each room?" Caroline took notes and Carol told her every little detail of what she wanted done to her house. By the end, Caroline thought that the easy part was going to be decorating the house. The hard part was going to be going to the Lockwood's house again, dealing with Carol, and chancing a run-in with Tyler.

By the end of her work day, Caroline just wanted to rest, but she didn't want to go home and be alone. Her mind was racing a mile a minute as she drove. At the last minute, she took the turn that lead her to Klaus' house instead of her own. She was relieved to see that he was home, and that his vehicle was the only one in the driveway. She wasn't waiting long after she knocked on the door, when it flew open and Klaus was standing on the other side. His smile grew when he realized it was Caroline.

"Congratulations, love. You survived your first day." He pulled her into a hug and kissed her forehead. "You look tired."

"I'm exhausted," she admitted. She knew it wasn't because of the work she was doing, because mainly she was sitting at this point. But she knew that it was because her mind had been racing ever since she was chosen to do Carol Lockwood's house.

Klaus pulled her into the living room, leading her to the couch so she could sit down and rest. He sat beside her, pulling her legs onto his lap. "Tell me all about your first day."

She laid her head on the back of the couch. She didn't know how he was going to take the news. "Well, I was given my first official job."

His smile returned along with his dimples. "That's great. Why don't you look excited about it?" His brow furrowed when he took in her expression.

"I didn't tell you who I was going to be working with," she looked down at her hands that were lying in her lap, not wanting to meet his gaze.

"Who?"

"Carol Lockwood," she almost whispered.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, but I have no idea who that is." He was trying to search his mind, but was coming up blank.

"It's Tyler's mom."

She felt him stiffen underneath her legs. She glanced up at his face, seeing the almost angry expression that was on it. She didn't know what to say to him to calm him down. There was nothing to say, really.

"Can't you decline?" His jaw was clenched tight.

She shook her head. "No one else is available, and she needs it done right away."

"And what about Tyler?"

"What about him? I'm working for his mom, not him." Caroline was starting to get frustrated. She couldn't do anything about it. It was her job, she had to do it. She knew that she wasn't really that frustrated with him, but more with the situation that she was in.

"And you don't think you will see him?" He asked, sarcastically.

"What do you want me to do, Klaus? It's not like I can say no. I'll lose my job. Plus, I have no idea if I'll see him or not." She pulled her legs off of his lap, sitting up and pulling them to her.

He stiffened when he heard her use the name she called him before she really knew him. "I don't know, Caroline! I would just prefer it if you weren't around him." He stood up and started pacing.

"You sound like a jealous boyfriend right now. You're being ridiculous."

"What am I supposed to sound like, Caroline? Would you rather me not care? Maybe you and I _should_ just be friends if you don't like that I'm protective over you." Klaus could feel himself starting to try to push Caroline away. He didn't believe that their happiness would last. He believed that everyone he cared about always left him, and that none of them could ever love him. Why would Caroline be any different?

Caroline instantly flashed back to her conversation with Rebekah. _Nik isn't really the relationship type_, Rebekah had told her. Caroline realized that he was pushing her away, and she wasn't going to let him. She got off of the couch, and walked over to him. She grabbed his face in her hands so he had to stop moving. "Nik, I want you to listen to me right now. I love how protective you are over me, and I would never want you to stop caring. Please do not try to push me away. I don't want to lose you." Her eyes were getting watery as she held his gaze.

He closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. He laid his forehead on hers. "I'm sorry. I don't want to lose you either. I know that it's your job, I just don't want to see you hurt."

"Look at me," she waited for his eyes to meet hers. "I do not care about Tyler at all. I care about you. The only reason I don't want to see him is because he makes me angry, not because he makes me sad. As for his mom, I don't like working for her because she's way too bossy, and we both know that I like to be the boss." He laughed at her last statement, which made Caroline relax a little. "So, are we okay?"

He pulled his forehead away from hers and stroked her cheek. "Yes, love. We are more than okay."


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello to all my wonderful readers! Thank you to everyone reading, favoriting, and following this story! To my wonderful reviewers: thank you for taking the time to leave me a nice message to read! You are all awesome :)**

**I want to give a special shout-out to my friend who is helping me to make this story what it is and for giving me advice. She doesn't have a fanfic username or I would mention it! **

**I did want to say that I realized that I have been spelling Michael's name wrong…It's supposed to be Mikael which should have been obvious to me, but I didn't realize it until last night. Anyway, since we are so far into the story, I'm just going to leave it as it is. I hope you guys don't mind. Now about the chapter… I hope you guys love it! Thanks again, and happy reading….**

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or any of its characters…**

Caroline loved her new job. It was everything that she expected it to be and more. Sure, it wasn't the best thing in the world for Carol Lockwood to be her first client, but she wouldn't complain. Carol actually hadn't been that bad to work for, and Caroline had yet to run into Tyler. She and Klaus were also doing great. He had gotten over the whole ordeal, or at least he was pretending that he had when he was around her. However, his poor siblings had to hear about it while Caroline was at work.

Caroline was happy with her life, and she realized that she hadn't truly felt like that in a while. Even Tricia and Tammy couldn't ruin her wonderful mood. Caroline had found out from a co-worker, named Lydia, that Tricia and Tammy were worried that she was going to get the next promotion that came available instead of one of them. Lydia told Caroline that her old office was actually Caroline's new cubicle, and that she had been given the promotion over the two snobby girls. She also made sure to let Caroline know that she was a newer employee than either of them, and that Caroline would be eligible when the next position became available. That focused Caroline even more, making her drive to be the best stronger. However, that left little time in her week to see Klaus or her friends, which troubled her. She was glad that it was Friday, which meant that she intended on spending as much of her weekend with Klaus as possible. That most likely meant sitting on his couch watching television, but it didn't matter to her as long as they were together. When the clock struck five p.m., she said her goodbyes and wasted no time getting in her car and driving away.

Caroline pulled up to the mansion, seeing two cars in the driveway. She didn't even care that they wouldn't be alone. She just wanted to see him. She didn't want to wait, so she just walked in, calling his name as she entered.

"Nik? It's Caroline," she called, closing the door behind her.

"Hello there, Caroline."

Caroline looked towards the living room and saw a smug Kol lounging on the couch. "Hey, Kol. Where's your brother?"

"And here I thought you were coming to see me," he fake pouted. When she just rolled her eyes instead of giving him a response he pointed towards Klaus' studio. "But I wouldn't go in there if I were you. He doesn't let anyone go inside."

"Whatever you say," she called over her shoulder as she walked to the studio door and opened it.

Klaus's gaze met hers with a frightening glare before he realized it was her. She would never forget the look he gave her, and she never wanted it to be aimed at her again.

"Come in, Caroline," he saw the shock on her face and immediately wanted to make it go away. "I'm sorry. I thought you were Kol."

She smiled, entering the room, and closing it behind her. "Nope, just me. I hope it's okay that I let myself in. I just couldn't wait to see you." She was trying to keep herself from blushing too much.

He walked over to her, paint smeared on his clothes. "It's more than alright. I couldn't wait to see you either." He got as close to her as he could before he stopped. He gently grabbed her chin between his thumb and forefinger, bringing her face close to his. "And I couldn't wait to do this." His lips claimed hers, and Caroline felt her knees go weak. She was positive she would have hit the ground if his arms hadn't moved to wrap around her, holding her to him. She didn't know what it was about that kiss, but there was so much passion behind it that she never wanted their lips to part. However, Kol had to interrupt.

"You let her in there, but not your loving brother? I'm hurt Niklaus." He called from the other side of the door, not daring enough to open it.

_What is up with his siblings always interrupting us in here?!_ Caroline thought to herself.

Klaus's arms never unwrapped from Caroline's torso, but his head turned towards the doorway. "Go away, Kol," he growled.

"Is it because she's hotter than me?" Kol joked again, but Klaus didn't think it was funny.

Caroline had to hide her giggle as Klaus stomped over to the doorway and flung open the door. "What did I say?" The frightening glare returned.

Kol was surprised to say the least, and he threw his hands up in surrender. "Don't mind me. I'll just be on my way." He told his brother, but not before he threw a smirk towards Caroline.

Klaus slammed the door shut and made his way back over to Caroline, his expression normal again. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. "Now, where were we, love," he asked as he lowered his head, not waiting for an answer.

Caroline stopped him by placing her hands on his chest and pulling her head away, which earned her a confused look from Klaus. "What is it?" He asked.

"Honestly? That was kind of scary."

"What was?" His brow was still furrowed as he tried to figure out what she was talking about.

"The way you just spoke to your brother, and the expression that was on your face," she told him.

He stepped away from her and ran a hand through his hair. "Kol knows every button of mine to push, and if you knew him well enough, you would know that I have to be mean to make him understand when he's gone too far."

"Believe me, I understand. I think his talent is knowing exactly what to do to get a rise out of people, but he was just joking. You have got to lighten up a little," she told him.

Klaus's jaw was clenched, which made her think that he was about to get angry with her. She held her breath until she saw it relax. "Yes, I know that you're right. I'm just trying to get familiar with him again after being at college for so long. It will get better, I promise," he smiled.

She smiled back, "good, that's what I wanted to hear." Then she walked over to him, wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling his head towards hers. "I believe we were right about here…" Her lips met his as his arms wrapped around her waist.

* * *

Later on that night, Caroline had dinner with Klaus and his siblings. They always had a good time together, and both Klaus and Caroline were happy that his siblings accepted her so easily. Caroline could see that Klaus was making an effort to control his temper when it came to his little brother. It seemed as if every time those two were in a room together, Kol was saying something to make Klaus mad. When it started getting late, Caroline decided that she should be getting home. She was exhausted from working all day. Klaus walked her out to her car, opening her door for her so she could get in. When she closed her door, she rolled the window down so she could still talk to him.

Klaus was bent over, leaning in the window, so he would be at the same height as her. "Tomorrow, be ready by 4 p.m."

"Why?" Caroline frowned, wondering why she couldn't just go over earlier.

"Because, I'm picking you up for our first official date," he smirked.

Her face instantly lit up and her smile was from ear to ear. "We're going on a date? To where?"

He shook his head, his smirk still in place. "I can't tell you. Just be ready."

"But, that's not fair. I don't even know how to dress."

"Just be comfortable." He slipped his head into her window and planted a goodnight kiss on her lips before standing up.

"What does that even mean?"

He laughed. "Goodnight, Caroline." He began walking to his front door.

"Nik!" She called out to him, but he didn't turn around. "Niklaus Mikaelson!" When he still didn't turn around, Caroline sighed and gave up. She stuck her key in the ignition and went home.

She had been home a good twenty minutes when her phone rang. She was already lying in bed. She grabbed it off of the night stand and looked at the screen, seeing NIK flash across it.

"Hello?"

"Caroline, did you make it home?" He sounded worried, which instantly made Caroline feel terrible.

"Yes, I'm sorry I didn't text you," she knew that her expression was filled with shame.

"Good! I'm just glad you are alright, sweetheart. I hoped that you had just forgotten, but I couldn't help but think the worst."

Caroline knew if she didn't just tell him, the guilt would eat her up. "I didn't forget. I was just mad because you wouldn't answer me earlier. I'm so sorry! I was being childish. Please forgive me?"

"Oh, Caroline," he chuckled. "You are one of the most stubborn girls I have ever met in my entire life."

"I know! I'm sorry. Do you forgive me?" She was practically begging at that point.

"Yes, love. Just promise me one thing."

"Anything!" She blurted out.

"Next time, text me when you get home, even if you're mad at me."

She laughed. "Deal."

They said their goodnights, and she fell asleep fantasizing about all of the different things they could be doing tomorrow.

When Caroline woke up the next morning, it was already past eleven. She was surprised, but decided that she probably needed the sleep. She checked her phone and was stunned that there wasn't a text or call from Klaus. In fact, there wasn't a call or text from anyone. She got out of bed and went downstairs to see if her mom was home.

"Mom?" She called as she glanced in all of the rooms, but never found her. _I guess I'm alone, _Caroline thought to herself.

She went into the kitchen and made herself a bowl of her favorite cereal. While she was eating, her phone beeped. Caroline immediately checked it, hoping it was Klaus, but it was Bonnie.

**_Doing anything today?_**

_Yeah, I have plans with Nik this evening. Why? What's up?_ She still hadn't told her friends that she and Klaus were "together."

**_Jeremy and Damon have some kind of "manly" thing they are doing tonight, and Elena and I thought we would see if you wanted to have a girl's night._**

_Sorry, Bon. I already have plans, or I would._ It frustrated Caroline that they only wanted to do something when Damon and Jeremy had plans without them. She wondered if she had been the same way when she was with Tyler.

**_No problem. Have fun._** Bonnie replied

_Thanks! You too._ She hit send before she took her bowl and set it in the sink. She looked at her watch and sighed, thinking that it was going to be a long time before Klaus would be there to pick her up.

She walked upstairs and started pulling out all of her clothes that she considered comfortable. She was still confused on what that meant. Should she go with a comfortable maxi dress or jeans? When she had destroyed her room by throwing clothes everywhere, she decided she would send a text to Rebekah to see if she could get any clues from her.

_Hey!_ She sent, casually.

**_Hey Caroline_**, the response came almost immediately.

_Can I ask you a question?_

**_Sure, what is it?_** Rebekah asked.

_Nik won't tell me where he's taking me tonight. He said wear something comfortable, but that could mean a lot of things. Should I wear a dress or jeans? PLEASE HELP ME!_

**_Jeans, definitely jeans!_**

Caroline smiled. Success! _Do you know where he's taking me?_ She sent back.

**_That doesn't matter because she won't tell you, love. Let it be a surprise._**

Caroline looked at the text for a good minute trying to figure out why in the world Rebekah would call her love**. **Then, it clicked. _Nik? Did you steal Rebekah's phone?_

**_Yes, I saw that she was texting you._**

_You're terrible._

**_No, you are for going behind my back ;) Now, quit asking questions and just get ready._**

Caroline groaned but started rifling through her clothes again. This time, she put all of her dresses back, thankful that she could at least do that much. However, when she looked back at the mess, she realized that putting her dresses away didn't make that big of a dent. She still had four hours to be ready, so she tried on every item of clothing that she had pulled out.

Finally, two hours later, she decided on a cream top with a black bow on the front, dark skinny jeans, and black flats. She laid out the clothes on her bed, and then went into the bathroom to take a shower. She decided to straighten her hair instead of leaving it curly like she usually did and she spent extra time doing her make-up perfectly. She decided because her outfit was so casual, she needed to do something a little different with her hair and make-up. She did a double check in the mirror, before she decided it was time to replace her robe with her outfit. She walked into her room, heading straight to her bed when a voice from the door way startled her.

"Going out tonight?"

Caroline jumped, hands overlapping on her chest as she tried to catch her breath. "Mom, you scared me. When did you get home?"

Her mom was leaning in the door way. "Sorry, honey. I just got home about twenty minutes ago. So, where are you going tonight?"

"Out with someone," Caroline said vaguely.

"A guy?" Her mom prodded.

Caroline rolled her eyes, but then fixed her gaze on the outfit lying across her bed. "Yes, mom. A guy."

"It wouldn't happen to be that Klaus guy, would it?"

Caroline's eyes widened in shock as she looked at her mother. She was surprised that her mom even paid enough attention to remember his name for that long. "Um, yeah, actually."

"Do you like him?" Her mom had entered the room and took a seat on the end of Caroline's bed.

Caroline nodded. "Yeah, I do. A lot." She couldn't hide the smile that appeared on her face.

Her mom smiled as she noticed the happiness in her daughter's eyes. "Good, I'm glad. I hope he treats you right, Caroline." She squeezed Caroline's hand, and then stood up to leave.

"Thanks, mom." It meant a lot to Caroline that her mom seemed to care, which made her smile even broader. Her mom smiled at her again before she left the room so Caroline could get ready.

Caroline was ready to go before Klaus pulled up. She was sitting on the couch, trying to pay attention to the television, but it wasn't working. Nothing could take her mind off of this date. She had thought of dinner and a movie, a fancy restaurant, a play, but she had no idea why she would dress so casually for a lot of the options that she had imagined. _Maybe we will just go back to his place and have dinner,_ she thought to herself. _I shouldn't get my hopes up._

She was still anxiously sitting on the couch when she heard the doorbell ring. She jumped up and practically ran to the door. She swung it open, and Klaus was standing there in a nice dark gray t-shirt that showed off his muscles wonderfully and a pair of dark-washed jeans ending with a pair of black boots. Caroline took in his appearance appreciatively, as he did the same to her. When she made it back to his eyes, her smile grew.

"Hi!" She exclaimed, which made him laugh.

"Hello, sweetheart. Are you ready to go?" He held his hand out to her.

She entangled their fingers. "I've been ready," she told him truthfully. Before he led her to his car, she yelled goodbye to her mom and shut the door behind them. She couldn't wait to see what he had planned.

As they were driving, Caroline realized they were getting further and further away from Mystic Falls. She had no idea where they could be headed, so she asked him.

"You'll see," he smirked at her before returning his gaze to the road.

For once, she didn't argue. Instead, she decided to enjoy just being with him, holding his hand, and talking. He asked her about her job, and she told him everything she could without mentioning Carol directly. She didn't want to ruin the date. He told her about what he was working on, and how a gallery had called about his paintings. He had no idea how they knew about his paintings, but he had declined.

"How do you ever plan on making a career out of your work if you don't show anyone how amazing you are?" Caroline asked.

Klaus shrugged. "It's more of a hobby, I guess."

"So you want to be something other than an artist?" She asked, confused. She knew he had majored in art.

He shook his head. "No, I guess not. I love painting and drawing, but I don't necessarily need to make a career out of it."

"Then how are you going to make money, Nik?"

"I have all the money I need." He smiled at her.

She sighed. "Nik, I'm serious. You can't live off of that money forever." What scared Caroline was that she was already thinking about their future together. How would they ever make it on just her salary alone? She wanted to shake her head to try and make the thoughts go away. It was too early for those thoughts.

"I could," he told her honestly, "but maybe one day I'll decide to show my work. Right now, I'm not ready."

She squeezed his hand, realizing that he was done with the conversation. He was being honest with her, and she would respect that. "Okay." She told him.

They made small talk for the rest of the way until Caroline started reading the signs on the road. "Wait," she told Klaus, "are we going to Virginia Beach?"

Instead of answering, he just smirked at her.

She started clapping and jumping up and down in her seat, which made Klaus chuckle. "I'm so excited!"

"That's not all we are going to do," he told her.

She looked at him with the smile still on her face. "I can't wait to see what you have planned."

About a half hour later, they were parked, and Klaus was leading Caroline to an empty spot on the beach with something in his other hand. She realized that there was no one around, which was odd.

"Why is it so empty?" Caroline asked as she looked around.

"I rented the area out." He told her like it was the most common and natural thing in the world.

"You what?" She asked.

"I rented it out so we would have it to ourselves," he shrugged as he started spreading a blanket onto the sand.

"Nik, that must have cost you a fortune!"

"Don't worry about it, sweetheart. Now, come and have a seat." He motioned towards the blanket.

She did as he told her and looked out at the water. It was so beautiful. The waves were crashing on the shore, the water a pretty deep blue. The sun was just starting to go down, not quite close to the water yet. Caroline breathed in the salty air and smiled. She hadn't been to the beach since she was a little girl, and the smell reminded her of happier times with her mom and dad.

"I hope you're hungry," Klaus told her, breaking her out of her thoughts.

She looked over to see him pulling things out of a basket. _He brought a picnic!_ Caroline squealed inside. "I am."

He pulled out Italian sandwiches with a plethora of sides to choose from. Caroline chose what sides she wanted and her gaze became fixated on the water once again as she ate.

"Do you like it?" Klaus asked.

Caroline wasn't sure if he meant the food or the beach, but both would get the same answer. She nodded. "I love it. No one has ever taken me on a picnic before. And I haven't been to the beach since I was a little girl," she told him.

"I thought about taking you to a fancy restaurant, but I thought you would like this much better."

"I do," she smiled. "Thank you."

When they finished eating, he placed himself behind Caroline so that she could lean on his chest, his legs on either side of hers. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head.

"Isn't it beautiful?" She asked him. She felt so peaceful, like they were the only two in the world.

"Yes, love, it is."

"This would be an amazing painting," she told him. "But only if you wanted to do it, of course."

"You're right. It would be lovely." He had actually already thought of it, but in his mind Caroline was in the painting as well, with the sunset in the background.

They sat quietly as they watched the sun descend quicker and quicker until it almost reached the top of the water in the distance.

"Thank you again, Nik. This was the best date that I have ever been on." She turned so she could look at his face. "But I think you could have taken me to the zoo and it would have been perfect," she smiled.

He kissed her, not able to resist. "It's not over yet," he told her as he pulled away. He lifted himself off of the blanket, and then extended a hand so she would join him. "Come with me."

He led her down the beach a ways, holding her close to him. After they had been walking for about five minutes, what he was looking for came into view. He pointed in the direction. "That over there is your last surprise."

She was squinting, trying to figure out what it was, but as they walked closer and closer, she made out the figure of what she thought was a horse. "Is that a horse?" She asked him.

"Yes, sweetheart, I believe it is." He smiled at her as she started jumping up and down again.

"Are we going to ride it?"

"Well, I intended on riding separate horses, but yes." He told her.

Her eyes widened in surprise. "I've never ridden before. You have to ride with me. I'll fall." She started to panic.

He pulled her into his embrace. "Alright, alright. Calm down. I'll ride with you."

He let Caroline choose which horse she wanted them to ride. She chose a black and white paint named Outlaw. By the time they were on the horse, Klaus behind Caroline, the sun had touched the water. Klaus couldn't have planned it any better. He had control of the reins, his arms on either side of Caroline so she couldn't fall. The horse slowly walked down the beach in the opposite direction of where the two originally came from.

"This is incredible." Caroline whispered to herself, but it was loud enough for Klaus to hear.

"I'm glad you like it." He whispered in her ear which caused a shiver to go down her spine.

Klaus pulled the horse to a stop when they were on higher ground that allowed them to see a little more of the sunset. Klaus took advantage of them not moving by wrapping his arms around Caroline and pulling her close.

"I don't want to go back," Caroline joked with him as she rested her head against his chest.

"We don't have to," he said, seriously.

Caroline turned so she could see his expression. He was really being serious. "Nik, I was just kidding. I can't leave. You know that."

"Why not? We can go anywhere you want."

Caroline rose up off of his chest so she could turn to look at him. "I have a job, Nik, and my friends and my mom are here. I can't just pack up and leave."

He wanted to know what he could do to guarantee that she would never leave him, never stop caring, but he didn't want to tell her that. He didn't want to scare her off. He didn't know why he had such strong feelings for her, but he already knew that he wanted a future with her, wherever that might be.

Caroline couldn't stand not being able to really look at him, especially because she could tell that something was really bothering him. "Help me get off of the horse." She told him, interrupting his inner turmoil.

"What?"

"Help me get down," she repeated and threw her leg over the horse.

Before she could do anything else, Klaus jumped off of the horse like a professional and stood in front of her legs. His hands grabbed her waist and her hands grabbed the tops of his shoulder as he helped her down.

"Thank you," she told him once her feet hit the ground. "Now, tell me what you were thinking so hard about."

His brow furrowed. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't act like you don't know. I can read you pretty well and I know that something was concerning you. Please, tell me what it was. You know you can tell me anything." She took both of his hands in hers.

"I would rather not talk about it right now, Caroline." He told her. "We were having a wonderful time."

"And you think that telling me what you are worried about is going to change that?"

"It could," he didn't want to meet her gaze.

"Nik, please talk to me." She was starting to get worried.

He sighed. "I don't want to lose you, and I don't know how to keep that from happening," he admitted.

Caroline knew that Klaus was hurt badly in the past by his father, so she didn't take what he said lightly. "You are not going to lose me, Nik. If anything, I'm scared that I'm going to lose you. I know about Michael, and I don't want you to ever push me away because of what he did to you."

Klaus stiffened at the name of his father, but relaxed when Caroline finished her statement. He pulled her into his chest, almost crushing her in a hug. "Please, don't let me push you away. I can't lose you," he whispered. He had no idea how she found out about Michael, but at least she understood him a little bit better.

"I promise I won't," she stated after she heard the desperation in his voice.

He kissed her so passionately that Caroline had to catch her breath when he pulled away. "We should get back. The sun is almost gone, and we have to take the horse and get to the car," he told her.

Caroline nodded, unable to speak. He lifted her off the ground, sitting her on the back of the horse like she was a box of feathers. When he climbed behind her, he immediately took the reins. He made the horse trot all the way back. After they dropped off the horse, he held Caroline close again as they made their way back to the picnic spot before going to the car.

Once in the car, the car ride was silent for a while. Their hands were entwined, but neither said a word. It was a comfortable silence, though, so Caroline wasn't worried. When they were about fifteen minutes outside of Mystic Falls, Klaus started asking Caroline about her plans for the next day. By the time they pulled up to Caroline's house, they had decided that Caroline would be spending the day with all three Mikaelson siblings. They were just going to order in food, play games, and watch movies, but that sounded perfect to Caroline.

Klaus walked her to the door, which always made Caroline smile.

"This was the best night I think I've ever had," she told him.

"I'm sorry about losing it on you earlier," he started, but Caroline cut him off.

"Don't! Don't ever apologize for telling me how you feel or what you're thinking," she took his hands again. "I want you to be open with me, and I'll be open with you. Okay?"

He nodded. "Okay," he kissed her goodnight.

She opened the door, and was entering when he grabbed her hand again and pulled her into him. She laughed as he covered her lips with his one more time.

When she did make it into the house, she peeked around the door as she was closing it. He was still standing on the porch with a smile on his face. "Goodnight, Mr. Mikaelson."

"Goodnight, Ms. Forbes." He winked at her, and stepped off of the porch, disappearing into the dark night.


	12. Chapter 12

**Hello lovely readers! Thank you for continuing to read, favorite, follow, and review this story! The idea of this chapter was given to me by my friend who has been giving me suggestions and helping me make decisions, so thank you to her! **

**To all my reviewers: thank you so much for leaving kind words! I like to see what you guys think!**

**Let's get started with this chapter shall we? Happy reading…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or its characters…**

It was the last week that she had to work with Carol, and Caroline was putting the finishing touches on the rooms. It was already Thursday, so Caroline was working extra hard to finish everything up, which meant spending a lot of time at the Lockwood's house. Caroline was struggling to focus strictly on her job after the wonderful weekend she had spent with Klaus. She still couldn't believe how perfectly their "first" date went, and she was growing more and more smitten with him as the days went by. She thought it was going way too perfectly, and that any moment something would change.

Thursday afternoon Caroline was headed to the Lockwood's to make sure that every piece of furniture was in place in the rooms that she had already finished. She had one room left, and it only lacked a couple of small details that could be placed the next day. When she parked her car, she noticed that the house looked empty, which confused her because Carol knew she was coming. When she walked up to the door she knocked a couple of times before entering. Carol had told her that she was welcome to just walk in.

"Mrs. Lockwood?" Caroline called as she walked through the entry way. When she didn't receive an answer, she called out for her again. She heard a voice, but it wasn't the voice she was expecting.

"Caroline?" Tyler came out of the living room with a shocked expression on his face. "What are you doing here?"

Caroline's entire body stiffened as she stared at her ex-boyfriend. "Is your mom home?" She asked, ignoring his question.

He shook his head. "No, there was an emergency down at the office, but she should be home soon. Since when are you and my mom friends?" He smiled at her, which troubled Caroline. In that moment, he seemed like the old Tyler.

"Um, I have been redoing the house. She was supposed to be expecting me." Caroline was getting nervous. She was still angry with him, but it was harder seeing him than she had thought it would be. Time had passed, and she had moved on, but he was still her first love.

"You did all of that?" He pointed towards the rooms that she had been working on. She nodded. "Wow, Care, you did an amazing job."

"Thanks," she replied, but couldn't even force a smile. She was waiting for him to snap, and thought it would be best if she just got out and came back when she knew that Carol was home. "I better go." Caroline turned to leave, but in two large steps, Tyler was at her side.

He grabbed her arm. "Care, wait."

She looked down at his hand around her arm, and glanced back up to look at his face. Klaus' warning for Tyler to never touch her again flashed in her mind. She almost yanked her arm away, but his voice interrupted her thought process.

"I have wanted to talk to you." He released his grip.

"Funny," Caroline snapped, "I don't ever remember seeing a missed call from you." She immediately regretted it, remembering how angry he could get.

His jaw clenched and then relaxed as he took a deep breath. "Caroline, I made a mistake. I'm sorry, and I just want you back. I want _us_ back."

Caroline rolled her eyes, not wanting to deal with this right now. She attempted to leave again, but Tyler stopped her once more, this time his grip tighter. When she looked at the expression on his face, she saw the anger that was boiling over. "Tyler, let go of me!" She yanked her arm, unable to loosen his grip.

"Why don't you want to be with me? Is it because of that guy? Are you seeing him?" The more questions he asked, the angrier he became, and his grip grew tighter.

"Tyler, you're really hurting me." Caroline tried to go for the sympathy route, thinking she could make him feel sorry for her. It didn't work.

"Answer my question," he snarled at her.

"Yes, yes, I am with him. Now, let me go!" Caroline knew that she was going to have a bruise. She thought about hitting him so she could get away, but she was worried that that might just cause him to get angrier. At that moment, she would have given anything for Klaus to walk in.

"What?!" Tyler growled as he pushed Caroline against the wall, arms on either side of her. She saw disappointment flash across his face before the anger returned. She felt the sudden relief as blood rushed through her arm after he removed his hand. "Me and you; that was the plan. You are supposed to be with me, Caroline, not that guy."

Caroline was trapped. There was no way she was going to get away unless someone walked in or Tyler let her go. "Tyler, we're over. I'm sorry, but that's not going to change." She was doing a great job of hiding her fear.

"No, we aren't over. We are going to be together, you'll see," he told her. Before Caroline could respond, Tyler's mouth was covering hers forcefully.

Her mouth didn't respond. She was disgusted, and all she could think about was how wrong it felt. She was pushing on his chest, but it wasn't helping. He just continued to kiss her, hands moving to the sides of her face, trying to force her to respond to him. Finally, she gave up. Her arms went slack by her sides and she just leaned against the wall. When he realized that she wasn't returning any of his actions, he pulled away angrily.

As if it was a reflex, Caroline's hand slapped him across the face. His jaw was clenched so tight that she wouldn't have been surprised if she could have heard him grit his teeth. She started preparing herself for the pain that she knew was about to come when the front door flew open.

Caroline's and Tyler's gazes both turned to the entryway. Carol Lockwood was standing there with a stunned expression on her face. Tyler's arms immediately fell to his sides, which allowed for Caroline to get away from him. Caroline must have looked shaken because Carol's expression became one of concern.

"Is everything alright?" Carol asked.

"Yeah, mom, we were just talking." Tyler told his mom.

Caroline just looked between the two of them with a somewhat frightened expression still on her face. She didn't know what to say.

"Okay," Carol said, but she didn't look like she believed her son. "I'm sorry I'm late, Caroline. I had to go to the office. I hope you went ahead and started without me."

Caroline shook her head. "No ma'am, I didn't. I'll just go do that now." Caroline scurried off to the sitting area and closed the door behind her, leaning against it as she took a deep breath.

_Get ahold of yourself, Caroline,_ she told herself. _Hold it together at least until you get home._ She pushed herself off of the door and pulled a checklist out of her bag. She made sure that everything was in place, comparing the picture that had been sketched out to the actual room. She went down the list, checking off everything as she saw it in the room. She was making her way into the living room when Carol joined her.

"Caroline, are you sure you're okay?" Carol asked as she walked with Caroline into the living room.

Caroline nodded. "I just need to get this done so I can go home. It's been a long day."

"Alright." Carol was still concerned, but decided to take the girl's word for it. "Everything is looking great."

Caroline forced a smile. "Thank you. I think so too." She flipped her checklist over so that now she was on the list for the living room. She did the same thing that she had done with the sitting area. When she finished the checklist, she quickly told Carol goodbye, and left. She just wanted out of that house.

As she was driving home, her phone rang. She saw NIK flash across the screen and sighed. She just couldn't answer it right now. She was too shaken still, and she knew how he would react if he found out what had happened. Caroline was relieved when she noticed that her mother wasn't home, which could have been predicted. She just needed some time to herself.

She ran straight upstairs to the bathroom and got in her shower. She felt like she needed to wash Tyler's hands off of her arms and his mouth off of hers. She stood under the water, letting it run over her as she let her emotions boil over. She realized that Tyler was a lot scarier than she ever thought. She wondered how she never realized it before. _Was my judgment that clouded by my plans?_ She wondered to herself. Tears ran down her face. She was scared to talk to Klaus. She knew he would go after Tyler. She was also scared to tell him about the kiss, but knew that she shouldn't keep something like that from him. Even though she didn't respond to it, she would feel guilty. She told him to be open with her and that she would be open with him. If she didn't tell him this, she wouldn't be keeping her word. But she knew how hard it was for him to let her in. She didn't want to give him a reason to push her away, even if it wasn't her fault. She knew his anger got the best of him at times, and she could only imagine him breaking up with her before heading over to Tyler's. The thought of losing Klaus made Caroline cry harder than any event that had happened that day.

Her phone was ringing again as she wrapped a towel around herself. She looked at the screen, and again, it said NIK. She was too tired to deal with it, so she hit decline. Besides, she wanted to talk to him about it in person, but now was not the time. She really didn't know when she would be ready.

It was still early when she climbed into bed, but she was mentally exhausted. Klaus was texting and calling her constantly, and she kept hitting ignore. She knew that if she didn't answer him soon, he would show up at her house, so she picked up her phone and replied to him.

_Hey, sorry, it's been a long day. I'm about to go to sleep. Talk later?_

When Klaus read the message, he instantly grew concerned. It wasn't like Caroline to blow him off. She was usually the one calling him the minute she left work no matter how tired she was.

**_Is everything alright, love?_** He replied.

She didn't want to lie to him, but she didn't want to worry him either.

_Fine. I'm really tired. Goodnight._

Klaus wasn't buying it, and it took everything in him not to call her phone while jumping in his car and heading over to her house.

**_Sweet dreams._** He sent back, but he knew he was going to have a hard time sleeping that night.

* * *

Klaus walked over to Rebekah's bedroom door and knocked. When she told him to come in, he entered.

"What's wrong, Nik?" Rebekah sat up in her bed, laying her book to the side. She could see the concern on his face.

"Have you talked to Caroline today?" He took a seat in one of the chairs located in the corner of her room.

She shook her head. "No, why? Is something wrong?"

He ran a hand through his hair. "I have no idea. I feel like something is wrong, but she won't tell me what. She won't answer my calls, she will just text me."

"Maybe she's just tired," she shrugged. She knew how much Caroline talked to her brother on a daily basis, so she couldn't imagine her ignoring him.

"That's what she said, but I don't buy it. Something isn't right." Secretly, he was worried that she didn't want to be with him anymore. He was trying to remember everything they had talked about the last time he really talked to her. He didn't remember anything making her mad. He sighed, stood up, and began walking out of the room. "Thank you, sister. Good night." He called over his shoulder before he closed the door.

"Good night, Nik." She replied.

He didn't fall asleep until early the next morning. He couldn't help but imagine all different kinds of scenarios in his mind that would make her mad or upset. He sent her a good morning text to wake up to before he finally drifted off to sleep.

* * *

When Caroline's alarm clock went off, she immediately reached to turn it off. As she was climbing out of bed, she grabbed her phone off of the night stand.

**_Good morning, sweetheart. I hope you have a wonderful day today._** Read the text message from Klaus.

Caroline felt tears sting her eyes before she could get control of her emotions. She was so worried about what he would think when she told him. _I can't think about that now. It's time to go to work._ She thought to herself. She put her phone away, not attempting to reply, and began getting ready for work. She knew it was going to be another long day.

When she arrived at work, the secretary let her know that she had a package. When she opened it up, she was relieved to see that it was the last little details that would finish up the bathroom at the Lockwood's. She stayed at the office that morning, getting some computer work done. She made sure that Carol's receipt was correct, all of the materials were accounted for, and that she hadn't missed any minor details in the actual closing of the job.

* * *

Klaus grew even more worried when he woke up to see that he hadn't received a reply back from Caroline. He made up his mind that he would be waiting for her when she got home from work if he hadn't heard from her by then.

* * *

While at lunch, Caroline reached for her phone to call Klaus out of habit, before she caught herself. She didn't think she could talk to him without him recognizing that something wasn't right. They could read each other pretty well at this point. She decided to call Bonnie instead to keep herself occupied. The two friends chatted during Caroline's entire lunch hour. Caroline hadn't realized how much she missed her best friend. She wanted to tell her about Tyler so badly, but that would mean bringing up Klaus, and she didn't know if she was ready to tell Bonnie yet. After lunch, Caroline decided that it was time to go to Carol's, even though she really didn't want to run into Tyler again.

Caroline breathed a sigh of relief when she noticed that Carol's vehicle was the only one in the driveway. She entered the house with the package of bathroom décor under her arm.

"Ah, Caroline! Did the towel hangers come in?" Carol met Caroline in the entryway.

"Yep," Caroline smiled as she held up the box as proof. "This is the final decoration, and then we will officially be done."

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get to it!" Carol led Caroline into the bathroom, as if Caroline had no idea where it was.

After she finished hanging up the towel hangers complete with towels that matched the décor, Caroline took a step back and surveyed the room. She nodded once, satisfied. She pulled out her checklist, and did her routine. "Well, I guess that's it!" She told Carol after she finished.

"Everything looks wonderful, Caroline. I will be sure to put in a good word for you at the company."

Caroline was shocked at the kindness she was receiving from Carol, but she would gladly take it. "Thank you so much."

Caroline gave Carol the receipt, which let her know how much she owed the company, and left the house, taking one last glance before getting in her car and driving away. She had to stop by the office to drop off her checklists and job completion form that Carol had to sign, before she headed home.

Caroline noticed his car in the driveway before she noticed him sitting on her front steps. She took a deep breath as her heart started beating rapidly. She turned off the ignition as he stood. She reluctantly opened her car door and stepped out. As she approached him, she could see the worry on his face even though he was trying to hide it.

"Hey," Caroline was proud of herself for keeping a steady voice. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, when you wouldn't answer my calls, I started to get worried," Klaus told her honestly.

"I'm sorry, I've just been busy," she tried to keep any expression from her face that might give her away, but he knew her too well.

"Don't lie to me, love." His gaze was steadily on hers.

She was the one to break it, having to look down at her feet as her nerves got the best of her. "Can we at least go inside?"

He motioned for her to lead the way, so she did. She unlocked the door and entered, heading straight for the couch in the living room. He closed the door behind them and followed her, taking a seat beside her on the couch.

"Be honest with me. What did I do that has you so upset with me?" He asked her.

She grabbed his hands and squeezed. "No, you haven't done anything!" She felt even worse because he thought it was his fault this entire time. She put her face in her hands. "I'm so sorry."

"Caroline," he pulled her hands away from her face so she couldn't hide from him. "Tell me what is wrong."

"When I tell you, I need you to promise me something." She told him.

"What is it?"

"You can't hurt anyone." Tears were starting to form in her eyes. This could be the moment that Klaus left her, not wanting to be in the middle of her drama.

His jaw immediately clenched, Tyler, the first name popping into his mind. "What did he do to you?"

She took his hands in hers again. "Promise me you won't do something stupid."

Just to please her so that she would tell him, he agreed and waited for her to continue.

"I went over there yesterday to meet with Carol, and she wasn't home. Tyler was there for the first time since I started working for her. At first he was nice, like his old self. But then he started saying he wanted to get back with me and how he made a mistake. I told him no, and that I was with you, but he didn't take that as an answer. Then, he kissed me."

Klaus' jaw was tight the entire time Caroline was speaking, but when she got to the end, his whole body stiffened.

Caroline felt the difference in his body. "I didn't kiss him back, but I couldn't push him off of me. He finally got so angry that he stopped, and I slapped him. I was scared he was going to hurt me, but then his mom walked in."

Klaus was furious. The fact that she was trying to push Tyler away, and he still kept kissing her pushed Klaus over the edge. It was taking everything in him not to leave her house that instant and go find Tyler, but he knew that Caroline needed him more. "Why didn't you tell me this yesterday?"

"Because I was scared. I didn't know how you were going to react, and I don't want you hurt. I also didn't want to give you a reason to be mad at me and push me away," she told him honestly.

"I would never be mad at you for what happened, love. It wasn't your fault." He grabbed the tops of her arms gently, trying to emphasize his point, but she jerked away. His brow furrowed as he tried to figure out why she would pull away like she did.

Caroline pulled up the sleeve of her shirt on her right arm and gasped. She had a huge black and blue bruise. She looked up to see Klaus' expression and was instantly worried. She knew that look, and it wasn't good for Tyler. The bruise pushed him over the edge.

Klaus jumped up and was headed out the door, Caroline right behind him. "Nik, don't! Please, you promised me!" She was almost running, trying to keep up with him.

"That was before I saw the bruise." He said, not turning around or making any attempt to stop.

"Nik! Caroline grabbed his arm before he could get inside of his car. "Don't." Her eyes pleaded with him.

He leaned down, kissed her on the forehead, and then climbed inside his car. He rolled his window down as he was backing out. "I will be right back. Stay here."

"Nik, please!" She pleaded with him once more, but it was no use. He was already speeding down the road away from her house.

* * *

Klaus drove straight to Tyler's house, his tires screeching as he slammed on the brakes in the driveway. He jumped out of his car, fists tightened at his sides as he made his way to the front door. He banged on it, waiting for a reply, but one never came. He tried to think of someone who might know where he was when Hayley came to mind.

He got back in his vehicle and found his phone. He had missed calls from Caroline, but chose to ignore them, knowing that she would be the one person who could make him change his mind about going after Tyler if she kept begging him. He scrolled in his phonebook until he found Hayley's name. He was surprised that she answered his call, but he didn't waste any time asking if she knew where Tyler was. He could tell by the sound of her voice that she was disgusted with Tyler, which was probably why she had no problem telling Klaus that Tyler usually spent a lot of his time at The Grill, especially since Matt started working there. Klaus didn't thank her, still angry at her for her part in hurting Caroline, before he hung up the phone and sped towards The Grill. When he pulled in, he noticed that there weren't many vehicles there, which was a good thing. He hadn't been that angry in a long time.

He stormed into the restaurant, causing the few people in there to turn and look at the door. He scanned the faces, quickly landing on Tyler's, who was sitting at the bar. Tyler turned back around, like he had no idea who Klaus was. The other people in the restaurant turned back to their meals, not really interested in Klaus' dramatic entrance anymore. He slowly walked up behind Tyler and just stood there, waiting for Tyler to acknowledge him. Finally, Tyler turned towards Klaus, but never got off of his bar stool.

"Can I help you?" Tyler asked him, sarcastically.

"I believe we need to have a little chat," Klaus stated.

Matt walked out of the back at that moment and saw Klaus standing above Tyler. The expression on Klaus' face stunned Matt. He knew that Klaus was mad about something, and he immediately stepped in.

"Klaus, I think you should go." Matt was standing beside the two guys.

Klaus turned to look at Matt. "I need to have a little chat with Tyler here, first. Then, I'll be more than happy to go."

"I think you need to go now," Matt replied.

"It's alright, Matt." Tyler looked at his friend. "I got this." Tyler turned to Klaus with a cocky smirk on his face. "So, did Caroline realize how great that kiss was and decide to leave you for me?"

Klaus couldn't stand the expression on Tyler's face, and when he mentioned Caroline's name, Klaus snapped. He grabbed Tyler by the front of the shirt, pulling him off of his barstool. His face was close to Tyler's. The only thing that kept him from punching Tyler in that moment was Caroline's voice pleading with him to not do anything stupid. "If you ever try to touch, speak, or kiss Caroline ever again, I will make sure that you regret the day you were born. Do you understand what I am saying to you?" Klaus' voice was threateningly low. When Tyler didn't respond, Klaus' voice got louder. "I said, do you understand?"

Tyler finally nodded once, so Klaus released his shirt, but his glare on Tyler was still intense. The whole restaurant was now staring at the confrontation that was taking place.

Matt was still standing beside the two. "Klaus, you need to leave before I call the police."

"That won't be necessary," Klaus stated, but his eyes never left Tyler's. "I don't ever want to see you again," he told Tyler as a warning before he shoved him back down into his barstool, glanced at Matt, then left the restaurant.

Klaus drove straight to Caroline's from The Grill, and she was sitting on the front porch much like he had been when she got home from work. She was walking to the car before he ever turned off the engine.

"Why didn't you answer my calls? I was worried about you!" She told him as he met her in the front yard. She started looking at his face and his knuckles.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, but I was on a mission." He smirked. "What are you doing?" He asked when he noticed her examining him.

"Making sure you have no wounds!" She explained, as if it was an obvious answer.

He laughed, and stroked her cheek with his hand. "No wounds, I promise."

"Did you find Tyler?" Her brow furrowed.

"Yes, and hopefully this time he will leave you alone. But I don't want to talk about him right now. Let's go watch a movie or something." He wrapped an arm around her waist and led her in the house.

"Do you want to go to my room to watch a movie? My mom will be home soon, and I really just want to be alone with you."

"Sounds wonderful," he leaned over and kissed the top of her head.

He let Caroline choose the movie, which ended up being The Notebook. He leaned against the headboard on her bed, and she cuddled up beside him with her head on his chest. He was making shapes on her back with his finger, which caused her to get sleepy much quicker than she should have.

"Caroline?" Klaus said.

"Mmhmm?" Caroline asked, the sleepiness evident in her tone.

"Don't ever be afraid to tell me anything, alright love?"

"I didn't want you to be angry at me and have a reason to push me away," she explained again. "I don't want to lose you, remember?"

He lifted her chin off of his chest with his finger, so her face was tilted towards his. He saw that she had a smile on her face.

"You aren't going to lose me, Caroline." He told her, before he whispered, "I'm completely in love with you."

Caroline's eyes widened at his confession, but quickly her expression transformed into one of pure happiness. She sat up, grabbed his face between her hands and pulled his mouth to hers. She started laughing as their lips parted.

"I love you too, Nik." She admitted before capturing his lips with hers again.

By the time the movie finished, they had fallen asleep, Caroline's head on Klaus' chest. Caroline felt more at home in his arms than she had ever felt before.

**Well… the cat's out of the bag ;) soon everyone will know that Klaroline are a couple!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hello to all my lovely readers! Thank you for continuing to read, favorite, follow, and leave sweet reviews for me to read. You are all awesome, and I'm only 5 away from having 100 followers! EEK! THANK YOU! And I want to give another thanks to my friend who is continuing to help me work through this story!**

**PLEASE READ::::::::::**

**This has to do with a question that I was asked in my reviews, and I'm sure other people are wondering the same thing, so this is to EVERYONE that is reading: These characters are based off of TVD, but they are going to have my spin on them, so they will be different. That means when Klaroline will take it to the next level might not please all of you, and I'm sorry. But it will be addressed in this chapter. If you don't agree with my choice, please respect it at least. This is not supposed to be to one person only, I'm just writing it because the question was asked, and this way I've covered everything now.**

**Also, I want to say that I WILL NOT write any smut. I don't feel comfortable, and I choose not to. This fic has been rated T since the get go, and it won't go any higher than that.**

**I also want to add that I could be MIA for a short time randomly in the near future. I will officially be an aunt this month, and whenever I go to the hospital to meet the bundle of joy, I can't promise I will be available to update! But please bear with me because I will update when I can! This note might be premature as to when I'll be away, but I just wanted to let you all know! Thank you again! Happy reading….**

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or any of its characters….**

When Caroline woke up the next morning, she immediately noticed that she wasn't alone. She felt the slight rise and fall of Klaus' chest, and realized that they both must have fallen asleep in her room. His arms were still wrapped around her, holding her close, and she had made him her pillow. She looked up at his face to see him sleeping peacefully and smiled. She didn't want to wake him up, but soon, it didn't matter what she wanted.

Her bedroom door burst wide open as her mom said, "Hey, Caroline, I'm going out of town for the…" Her mom was looking in her bag as she first entered, but as soon as she looked up, she stopped mid-sentence.

Klaus immediately jumped up, completely startled by the entire situation as he looked around trying to figure out where he was.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know you had company," Sherriff Forbes stated as she walked out the way she entered.

"Mom, wait, it's not what it looks like," Caroline told her.

"It's none of my business, honey. I'll see you tomorrow night," she said as she continued to make her way down the stair case and out the front door, closing it behind her.

Caroline turned to Klaus who was still standing, but had a smirk on his face. "That was awkward!" She rolled her eyes as she climbed back onto her bed.

"I didn't realize I fell asleep," he told her as he took a seat beside her on the bed.

"It doesn't matter. I liked having you here." She smiled, and placed a kiss on his lips before jumping up from the bed. "So what do you want to do today?"

He laughed at her excitement. "I'd like to eat breakfast first, but then, it's your call."

"Okay, I'll think about it while I'm in the shower," she told him as she pulled out the quickest outfit she could find. "Make yourself at home," she called over her shoulder before she entered her bathroom.

* * *

When Caroline came out of the bathroom, Klaus was sitting in the same spot he was in when she left. "You could have left my room," she joked with him.

He shrugged, "I haven't really been able to look around your room before. It's nice to see pictures of you and your friends in high school. I can get to know a little more about your life."

She smiled, walked over to him, and took a seat on his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. "You know, you could just ask me whatever you would like to know."

His arms went around her waist to keep her steady. "Alright, over breakfast, it's my turn to ask the questions."

"Deal!"

"But first, we have to run by my place. I need to change as well." He stood up slowly, so she had time to find her footing.

* * *

When they walked into Klaus' house, they were met by Kol who was just walking down the stair case.

"Ah, I see you two must have had a long night," he stated smugly.

Caroline rolled her eyes, and she expected Klaus to get angry. "Mind your own business, brother," he said instead, which shocked both her and Kol.

"No threats?" Kol asked Klaus. "No angry growl? What has happened to you, Niklaus?" He was being sarcastic, but at the same time, one could see the surprise in his masked expression.

"I just don't have time to mess with you right now. If you will excuse me," he told Kol, and Caroline followed him upstairs, not wanting to stay with the younger Mikaelson.

"Thank you, Nik." She told him once his bedroom door was shut.

He had pulled out one of his dresser drawers and was trying to find something to wear when he gave her a confused expression. "For what?" He asked.

"For trying to be nicer to Kol, even when it seems impossible."

He smiled. "I told you I just had to get used to him again. I'll be right back, love." He told her as he walked into his bathroom.

Caroline took advantage of his absence like he had evidently done hers. She was looking around the room when she noticed that there were no pictures anywhere. She opened a few books that he had laid out and read the titles, trying to see if she recognized any of them. As she was scanning the books, she noticed something sticking out of one of them. She opened to the page that it was in, and took it out to look at it closely.

It was a picture of a family, and Caroline could only guess that it was Klaus'. There were four little boys ranging from about 13 to 6, and one little girl who looked like she was between 6 and 8. Caroline looked at the parents, and she knew that it had to be the Mikaelsons. Kol looked a lot like his father, and Rebekah like their mother, but Klaus didn't really look like either. He had some similar features to his mother, but he looked nothing like the man who was supposed to be his father. They all looked happy in the picture, so Caroline assumed it was before Michael had found out about the affair. Before she could continue looking at it, she heard the water turn off in the other room. She carefully put the picture back the way it was, restacked the books, and backed away, acting like she was just scanning the room.

"I'm ready, sweetheart." Klaus said as he entered the room.

Caroline turned to face him. "You need pictures in here," she stated matter-of-factly.

"I don't have many pictures that I could put up."

"Well, we have to change that." She smiled as she skipped over, looped her arm in his and lead him down the staircase.

Klaus decided to take Caroline to a little diner outside of Mystic Falls for breakfast instead of The Grill. He figured he wouldn't be welcome in there any time soon, so he chose the diner. Caroline didn't care where they went, and she definitely didn't mind getting out of Mystic Falls. When they were seated, Klaus began to ask her questions.

"So, my first question is, what is one thing that you miss from your childhood that you wish you could have back?"

Caroline smiled. "Your questions are already a lot deeper than mine were," she told him, but continued when she decided on her answer. "Well, I guess the thing I miss the most is having my mom and dad together. When he was there, she didn't work all the time, so I got to see her a lot more. We did things as a family continuously, but when he left, everything changed. She worked more to get her mind off of the divorce, and she never really took a break since. We used to go to the beach when they were together, but when he left that stopped too. That's why our first date meant even more to me than you could have imagined. It reminded me of my childhood," her smile returned when she finished her answer.

He smiled back, "I'm glad I did something right."

She laughed. "You haven't done anything wrong!"

After they ordered their food, his questions continued. "What was your favorite memory from high school?"

"Easy," she told him. "Elena, Bonnie, and I were all cheerleaders. Friday night games were the best. We would cheer, go to The Grill afterwards with all of the football players and cheerleaders, and then Elena, Bonnie, and I would sleep over at one of our houses. We would stay up for hours painting our nails, watching corny chick flicks, and of course talking about guys. I consider myself lucky to still have them as my friends."

"Ah, so it's true. Girls do like to gossip about guys during slumber parties?" He joked.

"Oh please, like guys don't talk about girls all the time too." Caroline replied.

Klaus shrugged. "I wouldn't know."

Caroline's brow furrowed. "What does that mean?"

"I just never really had many friends. I kept to myself mostly."

Caroline felt sad for him. "Wasn't that lonely?"

"At times," he told her, honestly. "But, I thought I was the one that was asking the questions here." He smiled.

"Sorry," she flashed a quick smile, but she still felt bad for him. She didn't know what she would have done without Bonnie and Elena. She started digging into her food while she waited for him to ask her another question.

"Where do you see yourself in about five years?" He finally asked.

She thought for a while before she answered. "If you would have asked me that a year ago, even six months ago, I could have told you. But now, I have no idea."

"What would you have said six months ago?" His tone was full of curiosity.

She sighed. She didn't really want to tell him, but it was his day to ask questions and for her to answer them truthfully. "Honestly?" She looked at him and he nodded for her to continue. "I had a plan. I was going to graduate from college, come home to Tyler, and start a dream job. I knew that eventually Tyler would propose to me, we would get married, and in the future, have children. Obviously, only two out of the original three things happened, if you count my current job my dream job, so planning didn't do me any good."

"Are you sad that all three things didn't happen?"

Caroline took her time to think about what she wanted to say. She didn't want something to come out the wrong way. "No," she stated. "I was at the time, but I think I was more upset that my plan was falling through rather than being upset about my relationship. I wouldn't go back. I'm happy where I'm at now, and if I would have stuck with my plan, I wouldn't be here." She smiled and grabbed his hand that was lying on the table. "With you," she added.

He squeezed her hand before continuing. "Alright, so instead of making a plan, where do you hope to be in five years?"

Instantly, a vision flashed in her mind. She was working at a well-known interior decorating company as a head decorator with her own staff. When she got off work, she drove straight home to her perfect two story white house. When she walked in, she had to find something or someone, but she knew exactly where to look. She walked to the back of the house and opened the door. Klaus was standing in his studio in his paint splattered clothing placing perfect strokes on a canvas. When he heard the door open, he turned to see Caroline standing there and smiled, his dimples evident. He walked over to her and gave her a welcome home kiss, but then he leaned down and whispered something to her stomach before laying a hand on it. At that moment, Caroline realized that in her vision she was pregnant, and when she looked down at her hand that was lying over his on her slightly bulging stomach, she saw the ring on her left hand.

"Caroline?" Klaus' voice snapped her out of her trance. "Is everything alright?" His expression was growing concerned.

She smiled, "Um, yeah… fine. What was the question again?" He repeated it and waited for her to answer, but his concern was still obvious. "I hope to be at a company that I love, married to a wonderful man, and possibly with a baby on the way." She decided against telling him about her vision. She didn't want to scare him off. He smiled and nodded, seeming satisfied with her answer. "Can I ask where do you hope to be?"

"I guess that would be alright," he smirked. "I'm open to whatever my life brings, but I wouldn't mind being married by then if it was the right woman, and I just might be ready to show my art to a gallery by then, but I'm not making promises. As for the baby, I don't know about that."

Caroline frowned, her vision almost shattering like glass. "Too soon?"

He shook his head, "I don't know if I want to be a father. I didn't have the best role model growing up, and I wouldn't want any child to be exposed to what I was."

Caroline held her hands out on the table so he would take them, and she looked him straight in the eyes. "Nik, you would be a wonderful father. You did not have the best father to look up to, but that gives you the desire to never be like him. You wouldn't be like him."

"You have so much confidence in me," he told her. He seemed surprised, like she was the first person to ever believe in him.

"I am confident because I see the love, and warmth, and care that's inside of you even though you don't show it to anyone else."

The waitress came up, disrupting their moment, and gave them their ticket so they could pay out. On the way to the car, Klaus pulled Caroline close to him and kissed the top of her head before whispering in her ear. "I love you, Caroline."

"I love you too, Nik." She whispered back. "So much."

* * *

"We didn't talk about what you wanted to do today," Klaus said as he pulled out of the parking lot.

Caroline shrugged. "I don't know. I'm still tired from working all week. I felt like I was on overdrive trying to get everything done by Friday. Can we just maybe go see a movie and then go back to your place?"

He nodded. "Are you sure you want to be around Kol?" He smirked.

"No," she rolled her eyes, "but my house will be boring. At least at your place we can be with your siblings, preferably Rebekah," she joked, "or we can be alone."

"Alright, do you have any movie preference?"

"Nope, just whatever you want to see or whatever is playing when we get there I guess." She told him as she leaned back in the passenger seat, tempted to take a nap.

Caroline had fallen asleep and was surprised when they had made it to the theater so quickly. Klaus laughed, explaining to her that she basically fell asleep as soon as she quit talking. She kept apologizing, and he repeatedly told her it was fine and that she must have needed it. They decided on a romantic comedy, which had the closest start time to when they got there. They both enjoyed the movie, and Caroline was just proud of herself for not falling asleep again. As soon as the movie was over and they made it to the car, they made their way to the Mikaelson mansion.

Kol was gone when they got there which made both of them sigh with relief. Rebekah was sitting in the living room watching a movie of her own when they walked through the door.

"Hey guys," she called over her shoulder.

"Hey Rebekah," Caroline said as Klaus said, "hello, sister." _Always the proper one,_ Caroline laughed to herself.

"What have you two been up to?"

"Well, we went to breakfast this morning and then went to see a movie. Now, I think we will be here for the rest of the evening." Caroline joined Rebekah in the living room as Klaus went to get him and Caroline a drink.

"Oh, good. It's nice to have another girl around. Having all brothers is a pain in the butt sometimes," she smiled.

"Hey, I heard that," Klaus told his sister as he entered the room. He handed a glass to Caroline, taking a seat next to her on the couch. He placed his arm across the back of the sofa, "I'm not that bad, am I?" He smiled innocently which made Caroline and Rebekah both burst out in laughter. "Now who's ganging up on whom?"

"Aww," Caroline patted his leg. "We're sorry, but don't act so innocent. It doesn't work for you." The two girls laughed again.

"No, Nik isn't usually a problem. Kol is obviously the worst, and Finn can get under my skin. Elijah's not bad, and of course Nik and I are the closest, so I won't complain about him," Rebekah explained to Caroline.

"It must be nice to have siblings though, even if they are all boys. It has to better than being an only child. I was always bored while my mom was at work. If I wouldn't have had Elena and Bonnie, I don't think I would have survived," Caroline said dramatically.

"Well now you have us. You can come over whenever you'd like," Rebekah smiled at the blonde girl sitting across from her. "We can go shopping, get our nails done, and see really cheesy chick flicks."

Klaus watched his sister and his girlfriend getting along so well and smiled. _Caroline couldn't be more perfect for me_, he thought to himself.

"That sounds great! It will be so much fun." Caroline giggled with Rebekah, both excited to make plans with the other.

As they were all talking, they heard the front door open. They all glanced over to see Kol saunter in. "Well, you were having a party and you didn't invite me?" Kol faked hurt.

"Oh, be quiet. We were just talking. Have a seat if you'd like," Rebekah told him.

"So what did I miss?" He asked as he leaned back in a chair.

"Mainly girl talk," Klaus told him.

As the chatter picked up again, Caroline's phone started ringing. She dug it out of her pocket and looked at the name that appeared on the screen: CARTER HASTINGS. She started to panic, wondering why her boss would be calling her on a Saturday night.

"I have to take this. It's my boss." She told the group before making her way into Klaus' studio so she could be alone.

"Hello?" She answered the phone.

"Caroline, it's Carter. I hope I'm not bothering you by calling you on a Saturday night." He told her.

"No, no, of course not. Is something wrong?" Her heart was beating rapidly.

"No, nothing's wrong. In fact, I'm calling about some good news. I talked to Carol Lockwood and she was extremely pleased with your work. She told me your work was as good, if not better, than some people's from the office who have worked with her in the past. Carol is not an easy customer to please, so you must have done an excellent job," he explained.

Caroline immediately let go of the breath she had been holding. "Thank you so much, Mr. Hastings."

"That's not all, Caroline. A position has just opened at a different office. You would definitely be making more money, and in no time, I'm sure you would have people working for you."

"Oh, wow," Caroline gasped. "That would be wonderful. Where is the office?"

"New York City," he stated.

"Excuse me?" She was stunned.

"The office is in New York City," he repeated.

"New York City? That would be a dream come true." Caroline leaned against the wall to hold herself up.

"Well, think about it. I will need an answer by the end of the week."

"Okay, thank you for calling." She told him before hanging up.

She couldn't wipe the smile off of her face as she opened the door and walked back into the living room. But her smile quickly faded when she saw the three siblings sitting around laughing. It was a rare sight, and Caroline snapped a picture with her phone before anyone saw her. She became upset as reality hit and she realized how far away New York City was from Virginia, from Klaus. She leaned against the wall that led into the living room.

"Nik?" She called quietly, hating that she was interrupting their bonding time, but she needed to talk to him.

He glanced over, sure he heard something, and when he took in her expression, his became worried. "Caroline?" He jumped up.

"Can I talk to you for a minute, alone?"

"Haven't you two been alone enough lately?" Kol just had to make a remark.

"Shut up, Kol!" Caroline snapped at him, which instantly let Klaus know that something wasn't right.

"Come on," Klaus took her hand and led her upstairs to his room.

On the way up the stairs, they heard Kol yell "ouch," which they guessed was because Rebekah hit him after his stupid comment.

"What is it?" Klaus asked as soon as he shut the door. "What did your boss say?"

She took a seat on his bed. "He told me how happy Carol was with the job that I had done."

"Well, that's good. Why are you upset?" He took a seat beside her, laying his hand over hers.

"That's not it. He also told me about a job opening that he thinks I would be good for. I would make more money, and I would be higher up in the business than I am now."

"Sweetheart, that's great. Congratulations!" He grabbed her in a hug.

She wrapped her arms around him, burying her head in his shoulder. "It's in New York City." She whispered.

It took a moment to sink in before he slowly pulled away. "New York?" He asked.

She wanted to laugh at how many times she had heard the words New York and New York City in the past ten minutes, but that was overpowered by the seriousness of their conversation. She nodded.

"That's far away." He stood up, like he usually did when he got flustered, and started pacing. "What did you say?" He looked at her.

"He needs an answer by the end of the week." She was growing more and more upset the more she saw it troubling him.

"Do you think you will take it?" He was still pacing the floor.

She shrugged. "I don't know what to do."

He forced himself to take a seat beside her again and grabbed her hands in his. "Caroline, look at me." He waited until her eyes met his. "I don't want you to stay here because of me."

She felt her eyes fill with tears. "Does that mean if I leave we are over?"

He shook his head. "No, no, no." His face filled with concern. "Please, don't get upset. I meant that I want you to go if it's what you want. We can make it work. It won't be easy, but we will figure it out."

An idea popped into Caroline's head and before she could think it through, it spilled out. "Come with me."

"What?" He asked, stunned.

"To New York. If I take this job, come with me."

"Caroline…" He started, but she cut him off.

"I don't want you to feel obligated. If I decide to take this job, I'll go no matter what, but I would rather you be there than us be apart."

He thought about it for a long while before a smile spread across his face. "Alright."

"You'll go?" Caroline asked, surprised.

"I'll go if you decide to take the job."

Caroline's smile grew to match his as she launched herself into his arms and began kissing him over and over again. The kisses started to grow more and more passionate. Klaus began to reach for the top button of her shirt, but she pulled away.

"Nik…" She separated herself from him.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm not ready," she told him.

"That's perfectly alright, love."

"No, I don't think you understand." She met his gaze. "I made myself a promise a long time ago. I don't want to _be _with anyone until I'm married." She knew her values seemed to be old fashioned in today's world, but it was a promise that she made to herself that she intended to keep. She had her reasons.

Klaus thought about what she said, letting it fully process before he replied. "I respect that."

She smiled. "Really? You're okay with that?"

"Caroline, I love you. I intend on being with you forever, so yes, I can wait." He kissed her forehead before taking her in his arms and leaning against his pillows. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, go ahead." Caroline told him as she lay against his chest, much like she had done the night before.

"How is this supposed to work with us living together in New York?"

She laughed. "I didn't really think about any of that, but we will make it work. I won't change my mind. I want you with me in New York." She looked up at him and smiled.

"Good, because I want to come with you to New York."

They lay there quietly, just enjoying the comfort and familiarity of being with one another for quite a while. Caroline was surprised that Kol hadn't come up to the door to make a remark yet.

Caroline looked at her watch and realized that it was passed midnight. "I have to go." She told Klaus. "It's getting really late."

"Why don't you just stay here? I don't like it when you're home alone."

She looked at him. "Nik, I'll be fine. I'm used to it, remember?"

"But I'm not," he told her, honestly. "Please, just stay here."

"And where am I going to sleep?" She raised her eyebrows.

"We have a guest bedroom if you'd rather stay in there. And I'm sure you could borrow some of Rebekah's pajamas. She won't mind."

She climbed off of his bed. "Which is your pajama drawer?"

His brow furrowed. "That one." He pointed to the drawer.

Caroline dug through it until she pulled out a t-shirt and a pair of pants. "These will work just fine." She smiled as she made her way into the bathroom to get ready for the night.

Klaus shook his head and smiled. _How did I get so lucky?_ He thought to himself before lying back against his pillows.


	14. Chapter 14

**Hello lovely readers! :) Thank you for continuing to read, favorite, and follow this story! I have officially reached more than 100 followers! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! **

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Klaus walked into the guest bedroom to see Caroline still passed out. He took a moment to just watch her sleep, letting the reality of their relationship really sink it. He felt like he had known her forever, when in reality it had only been a few months. He was surprised at himself that he was able to tell her he loved her so soon, but he knew without a shadow of a doubt that he did. When he really thought about it, he realized that he hadn't told anyone that he loved them since he was a child, since before the affair secret came out. When he told Caroline how he felt, he expected to be overcome with nerves, but it was so easy to tell her. He was confident in their relationship, and that was also a shock to him. He never saw himself as the commitment type, but he knew he would never do anything to hurt her.

"What are you thinking about?" Caroline smiled sleepily as she woke up, realizing that Klaus was standing in her room.

He smiled and walked over to her bed, leaning down to plant a kiss on her forehead. "Good morning, love," he said, ignoring her question. "Did you sleep well?"

"Like a rock," she replied as she stretched her arms above her head before sitting up in the bed. "How about you?"

He nodded, "I slept better knowing that you were here instead of alone at your house."

She shook her head but smiled, "You worry too much, Nik."

"So you keep telling me," he smirked back. "Are you hungry?"

"Starving!"

He laughed at her exaggerated tone. "Well come on then, Rebekah made breakfast."

Caroline threw her legs over the side of the bed before standing up and grabbing Klaus' hand. "Do you not know how to cook?" She joked.

"Actually, I'm a wonderful cook if I do say so myself," he responded as he began to lead her downstairs to the dining room.

"You'll have to prove that one day," she smiled at him.

"I think I'll have plenty of time to do that in New York."

"New York?" Kol asked as the two entered the dining area. "When are you going to New York?"

Klaus looked at Caroline who slightly shook her head. She hadn't even decided if she wanted to go yet, and she would like to talk to her mom first.

"Mind your own business, brother," Klaus stated before pulling out a chair for Caroline and then seating himself beside her.

"This food looks and smells amazing, Rebekah," Caroline told the blonde as she began to fill up her plate.

"Thanks," Rebekah smiled. She and Kol already had their plates full and were digging in.

Caroline made sure to get a little bit of everything: eggs, bacon, and toast. The food lived up to the smell, and Caroline was enjoying the home cooked meal. She hadn't had a real breakfast like that in years, at least not at home. "Tastes amazing too," she added as she ate.

Rebekah's phone started ringing, so she excused herself from the table. She hadn't been gone long when Klaus turned to his younger brother.

"So, what has her being so secretive?" He asked, wondering why Rebekah would leave the room to talk to whoever it was.

Kol shrugged. "It's probably Hayley, again."

"Hayley? I thought she stopped hanging out with Hayley after…" Caroline's sentence trailed off, not wanting to bring up that night again.

"I did too," Klaus agreed, but his words seemed more directed towards Kol. "When did she start talking to her again?"

"Maybe two weeks ago. Hayley showed up one night crying over some guy, and you know sister, she couldn't turn her away."

Klaus and Caroline both immediately thought the guy had to be Tyler, but neither said it out loud. They continued to eat their breakfast until Rebekah walked in, and Klaus couldn't let it go. Caroline knew he wanted to see if Rebekah would lie to him as soon as she heard his question.

"Who was that, Rebekah?" He asked, and then nonchalantly added, "Is everything alright?"

"Of course it is, Nik. Why wouldn't it be? It was just a friend calling to chat." She wouldn't meet her brother's eyes as she picked up her fork and began playing with her eggs.

"I was just wondering. You usually don't leave the room to take a call." He was staring at her, waiting to see what she would come up with next.

Caroline could see how uncomfortable Rebekah was, and in reality, Hayley wasn't to blame for the whole Tyler incident. Tyler was the one in a relationship, not her. And yes, she knew about Caroline, but Caroline knew that she and Tyler would have been over soon no matter what, even if Hayley wasn't involved. She could have thanked Hayley for saving her from any more misery, but she wouldn't go that far. Instead, she knew she just had to move on and so did Klaus. She kicked him under the table.

He looked over at her questioningly. "What was that for?"

"Leave her alone. It's none of your business who she was talking to," she looked him straight in the eye, not backing down.

"Ah, finally a girl brave enough to stand up to the big bad Niklaus," Kol joked.

"Shut up, Kol." Caroline and Klaus said in unison, which got a laugh from Rebekah and eased the tension in the room.

After they were finished eating, Caroline volunteered herself and Klaus to wash the dishes since Rebekah had cooked the meal.

"I'll wash, you dry," Caroline told him as she handed him the towel. He rolled his eyes, but took it.

"What was all that about in there?" Klaus asked after he dried the first couple of plates.

"Did you not like me telling you what to do?" She smiled, satisfied with herself.

"No one tells me what to do, love," he smirked back, but he knew that Caroline could and so did she.

"Yeah, yeah," she commented before telling him what was really going through her mind at the table. "It's time to let go, Nik. Hayley was Rebekah's friend long before she was Tyler's whatever you want to call her. We have to move on. I'm not saying I want to be Hayley's friend or anything, but it wasn't all her fault. Tyler and I were headed for disaster since I came home from college. Plus, I got to be friends with you a lot quicker than I would have been able to if I hadn't caught them together." She smiled and bumped into him with her hip.

He smiled back, "That is one good thing that came out of it. And now look where we are."

"Exactly, so just leave Rebekah alone. Let her be friends with Hayley if she wants. She's old enough to make her own decisions without her big brother stepping in. And she really didn't do anything that bad to Rebekah, so Rebekah has no reason to be mad at her."

Klaus sighed. "I guess you're right. I'll try to stay out of it, but that doesn't mean I'm going to be nice to her if she comes here again."

Caroline laughed and hugged him, trying to keep her wet hands from touching his clothes. "You don't have to be if you don't want to."

He leaned down and pressed his mouth to hers, and they got lost in the moment. She forgot all about her hands being wet as she grabbed the back of his shirt, pulling him closer to her. His kisses began to trail down the side of her jaw, and she tried to catch her breath.

"Nik, we have to finish these dishes." She laughed as his mouth continued to trail kisses down her jaw onto her neck, before returning to her mouth so she couldn't speak.

"Oh, please, not in the kitchen! There are plenty of other rooms in this house," Kol said as he entered the room to add his glass to the dish pile.

Caroline turned her head so she broke the kiss and Klaus growled in frustration, which caused Caroline to giggle at the entire situation. "We need to finish these dishes," she told him again as she pulled out of his grip.

"Must you always interrupt?" Klaus turned to his brother.

"Last time I checked, this was my house too, brother…" Kol told him as he left the way he came in.

"We really need more privacy," Klaus told Caroline as he joined her at the sink again.

"Which makes me think of New York," she handed him a glass.

"Have you decided what you want to do?"

She shook her head. "I need to talk to my mom tonight. I don't know how she's going to feel about me being that far away."

"Does it really matter? She's never home," he stated.

She sighed, knowing that he was right, but she still felt like she had to at least talk to her mom. "I know, but I've never been that far away. I promise I'll talk to her tonight, and I'll make a decision by tomorrow."

"Don't rush because of me," he commented.

"Okay, but I will let you know tomorrow if at all possible." Truth was, it was going to be hardest of all to leave Bonnie and Elena behind.

"Alright."

* * *

Later that day, Caroline went upstairs to the guest bedroom when she realized she left her phone. She had a missed call and voice message from Bonnie.

**"Hey Care, we really need to talk. Call me if we can meet up later today." **The voicemail said.

Caroline realized that had been about four hours ago, but she went ahead and called her best friend back.

"Hey Caroline," Bonnie answered.

"Hey Bon, I'm sorry, I just got your message! My phone has been in a completely different room. What's going on? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything is fine. Can you meet in like an hour? I would really like to talk to you."

Caroline rolled her eyes, wondering why this couldn't just be handled over the phone. Then, she realized that she was becoming just like them. She would rather be with Klaus all the time than her best friends. "Yeah, sure," she quickly replied. "Where?"

"Elena's house?" Bonnie said.

"Okay, I'll see you in an hour." Caroline hung up the phone, and turned around. She nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw Klaus standing in the doorway. "Nik! You scared me."

"Sorry, love. I couldn't help but overhear the last of your conversation. Where are you off to?" He entered the room, taking a seat on the bed.

"Bonnie called and wants me to meet her at Elena's. I don't know what's going on, but I better go. It could be one of the last times I see them anyway, right?"

Klaus saw the saddened expression on her face. "Caroline, we don't have to go." He took her hands in his, pulling her so she was standing between his legs. "I can see that it's already bothering you and you haven't even made a decision yet."

"No, I need to make this decision based on what's best for me and my career." She said, deciding in that moment that that was what she was going to do. "If I based it on feelings alone, I would probably stay in Mystic Falls. Heck, I definitely would if you weren't going with me." She sighed, "I can't let my feelings sway my decision."

"Alright, then." He smiled at her, hoping to show his support in whatever decision she made.

"I will give you these pajamas back as soon as I change," she told him as she made her way over to the dresser where her clothes were laying.

His smile was transformed into a smirk as he said, "You should keep them. They look much better on you, anyway."

She laughed, but rolled her eyes as she made her way into the bathroom to change. Afterwards, she slipped the pajamas into her bag, taking him up on his offer. They smelled like him after all, and she liked having his scent close to her. She felt like he was close by that way. She said her goodbyes, and left Klaus painting away in his studio.

* * *

When she pulled up to Elena's house, she noticed that Bonnie's car was already in the driveway. She made her way to the front door, but before she could knock it swung open.

"Hey Care!" Bonnie smiled and hugged her best friend. "Come in."

Caroline wanted to let out a sigh of relief when she realized that Bonnie didn't seem upset or angry. "Hey Elena," Caroline smiled as they entered the living room where Elena was sitting.

"Hey Caroline," she smiled back.

The girls made small talk while they sat around on the living room furniture. Finally, Caroline couldn't stand it anymore when neither girl brought up what this whole meeting was about. "So, what did you want me to meet you for?" Caroline asked Bonnie. "I mean, it's great seeing you guys, but whatever it was seemed important."

Elena sat back, allowing Bonnie to take over. "Well, Caroline, we sort of talked to Matt the other day, and he told us about an interesting run in at The Grill."

"At The Grill?" Caroline's brow furrowed. "I don't know what you guys are talking about."

The two dark haired girls exchanged a look before Bonnie continued. "It was between Klaus and Tyler."

Caroline was intrigued because Klaus never told her what happened that night. "Oh yeah?"

"You didn't know about it?" Elena butted in.

"I knew that Nik went to see Tyler, but I don't exactly know what happened. I just know that when Nik came back he didn't show any signs of being in a fight," she told them honestly.

"Well, Matt said that Klaus was in Tyler's face, and he threatened him, but he never hit him. He said that Klaus was pretty scary, actually." Bonnie explained.

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Look guys, Nik has never hurt me like Tyler has. He's always been sweet to me, and the only reason he acts like that with Tyler is because of what Tyler did to me."

"There was something said that night that seemed to really catch Matt's attention, and he told us." Bonnie hesitated. She saw that Caroline was waiting for her to continue. "Tyler seems to think that you and Klaus are together, but last time we talked to you, you said you were just friends." That last statement was more of a question.

Caroline looked down at her hands that were growing fidgety in her lap. "That's because when I told you that, we were."

"Were?" Elena chimed in again.

"Nik and I have been together for a little while now. It basically started at that concert, but I wasn't ready to tell anyone yet."

"Oh my goodness! Is it serious?" Bonnie asked.

"Yeah, pretty serious." Caroline couldn't help but smile.

Bonnie's and Elena's excitement began to grow when they saw their friend's expression. "So you're happy?"

"Happier than I've ever been," Caroline stated.

"That's so exciting, Care! We are so happy for you!" Her two best friends enclosed her in a huge hug before they all busted out in laughter.

After they all settled down, Caroline decided that she should go ahead and tell them about New York. She explained the phone call, and told them that she had until the end of the week to decide. She could see the sad expressions on her friend's faces, but they tried to be supportive.

"If that's what you want, Care, you should go for it," Elena told her.

"New York would be a great opportunity for you. It will open a lot more doors for you than if you were to stay in Mystic Falls," Bonnie added.

"Thanks guys. I'll let you know what I decide." Caroline told them, glad that they understood how important the move was to her.

Caroline stayed at the house for another hour before she decided she should get home. She wanted to make sure that she didn't miss her mom somehow. As she was walking to her car, Elena stopped her.

"Hey, Care?"

Caroline turned around. "Yeah?"

"Matt wanted us to tell you that he was sorry. Maybe you should call him before you leave if you decide to. I think he would like to tell you himself." She said.

Caroline nodded, "I'll think about it." She saw Elena nod back before turning towards her vehicle. She didn't know if she was ready to forgive Matt for choosing Tyler over her. Tyler was the one who was treating her terribly, not the other way around. She texted Klaus after she got in her car, letting him know she was headed home to talk to her mother.

* * *

Caroline wasn't surprised when her mom's car wasn't in the driveway. She went inside, and decided to fix something to eat. She didn't know how to cook, so she found a frozen dinner and stuck it in the microwave. _It'll have to do_, she thought to herself.

As she was sitting in front of the television with her meal, the front door opened.

"Caroline, I'm home!" Her mother yelled from the entry way.

"I'm in here," Caroline yelled back as she turned off the television. "How was your trip?" She asked when her mom entered the room.

"Exhausting," her mom said as she flopped down beside Caroline on the couch. "How was your weekend?"

"Good," Caroline smiled. "I spent Saturday and part of Sunday with Nik and his brother and sister, and then I went to Elena's this afternoon."

"I see that you and this Nik guy are getting closer?"

Caroline nodded, "Yeah, we are. I think you will really like him."

"I'm sure I will, honey," she said as she patted Caroline on the leg. She started to stand up when Caroline stopped her.

"Mom, can I talk to you for a second?" She saw that her mom was about to make some excuse to leave when she added, "It's really important."

Her mom sat back down. "Alright, what is it?"

"I've been offered a job, but I wanted to talk to you about it before I made my final decision," Caroline told her.

"Why do you need my permission to take a job? You're a grown woman, you can make your own decisions," her mom stated.

"Mom, it's in New York." Caroline didn't say anything else as she watched her mom's expression. At first she looked shocked then conflicted, and then she smiled.

"That's wonderful, Caroline."

"It doesn't bother you that I'm going to be in New York? That far away?" Caroline felt disappointed. A part of her had wanted her mother to tell her to stay.

"If it's what you want, honey, you should go for it. You worked hard to get your degree. You should put it to good use." Her mom wasn't really happy with the distance, but she wanted Caroline to get out of Mystic Falls, to follow her dreams. She wasn't going to be the one to hold her back.

"Oh, okay. I guess I'll take it then." Caroline didn't feel as excited as she once did, but she knew that going was the best choice.

"Is that all?"

"Um, yeah. Good night, mom." Caroline had to swallow the lump that was rising in her throat.

"Good night," her mom hugged her, and went upstairs for the night.

Caroline didn't last downstairs much longer. She ran up the stairs two at a time, and jumped on her bed as soon as she got to it. She pulled out her phone and called Klaus.

"Hello, love." Klaus answered on the second ring.

"Hi," Caroline replied.

Klaus could hear the unhappiness in her voice. "What's wrong? Did you talk to your mom?"

"Yeah, I did. She told me to go." She almost started to cry again.

"Then why do you sound so upset? I thought that is what you wanted."

"She didn't even act like she cared that I was going to be so far away. It was like I told her I was moving to a nearby city."

Klaus wished he was with Caroline so he could comfort her. "I'm sorry, sweetheart."

There was a long silence before Caroline spoke.

"I guess this means that you better start packing. I'll tell my boss tomorrow." She tried to muster up some enthusiasm.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Caroline?"

"Are you?" She countered.

"I'd go anywhere with you," he replied honestly.

She nodded even though he couldn't see her. "Then yes, I'm sure I want to do this."

"Alright, I'll tell Kol and Rebekah tomorrow."

"Okay, I guess I better go to sleep. I have to get up early tomorrow. I love you, Nik."

"I love you too, Caroline," he replied before they both hung up their phones.

* * *

The next morning, Caroline felt exhausted. She hadn't gotten much sleep the night before. She was upset, anxious, and excited all at the same time. She got ready for work, and headed out the door, relieved that she didn't run into her mom. She was still upset with her, and she knew that she wouldn't be able to fake being okay around her for very long. As she entered her office, her enthusiasm resurfaced. She was nervous at the thought of telling her boss that she was going to take the job. That made it official. Tricia and Tammy were already in their cubicles when Caroline walked into hers. They both gave her a dirty glare before turning their attention back to their computers.

While Caroline was settling into her desk, Lydia walked up to her. "Congratulations Caroline!" She whispered to the blonde. "I heard about the position in New York. Are you going to take it?"

Caroline was surprised that anyone even knew about that. She glanced to her left, and then to her right, realizing that Tricia and Tammy were staring at her, waiting for her to answer the question.

"You'll just have to wait and see," Caroline told Lydia, but added an inconspicuous wink. She didn't want the terrible twins to know anything until she talked to her boss.

As the morning progressed, Caroline couldn't stand it anymore. She got up from her desk, and made her way to her boss' office. She knocked lightly on the door.

"Come in," Carter called from inside.

Caroline opened the door slowly, sticking her head in first. "Do you have a few minutes?"

"Caroline, yes, come on in," he gestured to one of the chairs in front of his desk. "What can I help you with?"

"Well, it's about the job in New York." Caroline took a seat.

"That was fast. I hope you really thought about it." He was leaning forward on his desk, twirling a pen between his fingers.

Caroline nodded, her palms starting to sweat. "I did. I talked to my mother, friends, and my boyfriend. I'm ready to make my decision."

"Alright, let's hear it." He leaned back, placing his hands behind his head.

"I'll take it." There was no going back now.

A smile spread over Carter's face. "I'm glad to hear it, Caroline. I will make the call later today to let them know your decision. I'll try to get you the details before you leave work today."

"Okay, thank you Mr. Hastings." She said as she stood and exited the room.

* * *

As she was sitting at her desk later that afternoon she received an e-mail from Carter's office. Her hand was almost shaking as she double clicked to open it.

**Caroline,**

**I talked to the office in New York, and they were ecstatic to hear your decision. They want you there by next Monday, so I'm giving you the rest of the week off so you can pack. Good luck in your future endeavors. It's been a pleasure working with you, even if it was for such a short time.**

**Carter Hastings**

Caroline couldn't believe it. This time next week she would be in New York City. She called Klaus on her way home to tell him the news, and he seemed to be just as excited as she was. After she talked to him, she called Elena and Bonnie to tell them the news. They both sounded genuinely excited for her, which helped lift her spirits some after what happened with her mom.

She decided to go straight home that day. She was going to need all the time she could get to pack and to find a place to live in New York. She didn't know how she was going to figure out which apartment to choose. But, later that night when she was on the phone with Klaus, he assured her that he had been to New York a few times, and that he could help her find them a place if she wanted to go over to his house the next day. She agreed, and decided to focus just on the packing for the night. Her mom wasn't home by the time she fell into bed, exhausted from her day. Again, she was somewhat relieved.

* * *

The next morning she made a stop at the local convenience store to pick up some empty boxes before she made her way to Klaus' house. She knew they would probably need all the boxes they could get. She drove to the Mikaelson mansion, and carried a few of the empty boxes into the house.

"Nik, it's me," she called when she entered the house.

"Hello, love," he said as he came down the stairs quickly. He took the boxes out of her hands. "Thank you. I needed some of these."

"You're welcome," she smiled and looked around. "Are we alone?"

"No, Kol is upstairs, but Rebekah is out."

"Where's Rebekah?" Caroline asked as she followed him into the study.

He shrugged. "I think she said something about meeting up with a friend." He walked over to the computer where he already had a few websites pulled up. "Alright, so I have a few places picked out to show you." He took a seat and motioned for her to sit in the chair beside him.

She took a seat as she looked at the screen. She watched as he scrolled through the different lofts he had picked out, explaining to her what was available in each one. "Nik, these are all amazing, but there's no way I can afford these."

"Don't worry about the money, Caroline. That's not an issue." He told her.

"No," she stated.

"No? No what?" He looked confused.

"You aren't paying for the whole thing. I am the one that asked you to move up there. There's no way I'm letting you pay for it," she said, leaving no room for discussion, but she had met her match in Klaus.

"Well, I'll pay for it at first, and then we can both pay rent whenever you have the money."

She almost laughed. "Nik, I won't be able to pay half even when I have a check coming in. These are too expensive."

"Caroline, please let me do this."

He was way too good at begging her to get his way. "Nik…" She sighed.

Before she could finish talking his phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and didn't recognize the number. "Hang on, love. I need to see who this is." He left the room to get better signal on his phone.

She continued to scroll through the lofts while he was in the other room. She had to admit, she would love to live in any one of them. When she heard his footsteps behind her she began talking, "I really like this one…" She was waiting on him to join her at the computer, but he didn't. She turned to look at him, and then immediately stood up and began slowly walking over to him.

"Nik, what's wrong?" She began to panic at the devastated and lost expression on his face. "Who was on the phone?"

He looked at her and swallowed hard, "It was the hospital. Rebekah's been in an accident…"

**Cliffhanger! :) But something to look forward to: Elijah should be making an appearance in the next chapter, and maybe Finn. Stay tuned….**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hellooooooo lovely readers! This chapter was kind of difficult to write, so I hope you like it :)! But thank you for reading, following, and adding this story to your favorites! **

**To my wonderful reviewers:::: You are all just going to have to wait and see! haha! I'm not answering any questions about NY or Rebekah because I don't want to give any major spoilers, sorry! But thank you ALL for continuing to read and leave comments!**

**Sarah.A.A: I like Elijah… Finn, I don't really care for, haha, so if either are a pain it will be him, but I don't plan on making either one a major character as of right now :)**

**Okay, so let's find out what happened to Rebekah! Happy reading…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or its characters…**

Caroline's heart was racing so fast, she thought it would pound right out of her chest. "Is she okay?"

Klaus shook his head. "I don't know. They won't tell me anything over the phone. They said I needed to come down there. I've got to go."

"Hang on, I'll come with you." Caroline ran over to the desk to grab her purse.

"You don't have to go." Klaus stated, his expression still lost.

Caroline couldn't stop the feeling of hurt that washed over her when he spoke those words. She knew he was just scared, but she wanted him to need her for once. Usually, he was the one helping her. "I want to."

He nodded once and began making his way to the front door with Caroline right behind him.

"Wait!" Caroline called, which made Klaus turn around. "Someone has to tell Kol. You go get in the car, and I'll go get him."

Klaus nodded again, and closed the door behind him. Caroline had never seen him so quiet before, and that worried her even more. It was as if he couldn't speak. Caroline pushed her emotions away and ran upstairs yelling Kol's name as she ascended the stairs.

"What is it?" Kol stuck his head out of his bedroom door.

"Kol, we have to go." Caroline didn't want to tell him why because she didn't know how he was going to react, but that answer wasn't good enough for him.

"Where are we going?" His brow furrowed.

"Please just stop asking questions and come on!" Caroline felt her emotions starting to take over.

"Caroline, what's wrong? Where's Niklaus?" Kol's concern started to grow.

"Rebekah's been in an accident! We have to go to the hospital. Now, come on." She didn't even wait for him to reply. She ran down the stairs as she heard his footsteps close behind.

When everyone was in the car, Kol started asking questions again. "What happened? Is she alright?"

Caroline had no idea how to answer his questions, so she left them for Klaus to answer. When he didn't answer his brother, Caroline began to panic even more. Their parents had been in a car accident, and now Rebekah? How was that fair? To make everything worse, Rebekah and Klaus were extremely close. She didn't know what he would do if he lost Rebekah.

"Niklaus?" Kol was getting irritated with the lack of answers.

Caroline saw Klaus' jaw tighten and his knuckles turn white as he gripped the steering wheel tightly. She knew it would make everything worse if he snapped at his brother in that moment. "We don't know anything. They wouldn't tell Nik until he came down," she told the younger Mikaelson.

As they continued to drive, the car became silent. Caroline glanced in the mirror to see that Kol was staring out the window, lost in thought. He knew how to push every one of her buttons and his brother's, but she would take him like that any day if she never had to see him hurting again like he was. She glanced over at Klaus to see that his jaw was still tight and his hands hadn't loosened their grip on the steering wheel. She was trying her hardest not to think about Rebekah, because if she did she knew she would start crying right then and there out of pure fear for the blonde's life. Caroline knew that was the last thing either of the boys needed.

She reached her hand over and patted the top of Klaus' leg to get his attention. He looked over at Caroline, and she saw the fear in his eyes. She held her hand open for him to take, wondering if he would even acknowledge it. He took a deep breath and then placed his hand in hers, interlacing their fingers. She squeezed his hand in support, just glad that he wasn't completely pushing her away.

They pulled into the Emergency parking lot at the Medical Center of Mystic Falls and hurried inside, Klaus ahead of the rest. When they got inside, Klaus went straight to the desk, demanding to talk to someone about his sister. When the lady at the desk couldn't provide a doctor right away, Klaus' demands got louder.

"Sir, you're going to have to be quiet or I'm going to have to ask you to leave," the lady said when she noticed that the people in the Emergency Room were staring at them.

"I have no idea what is going on in there with my sister, and you are threatening to kick me out?" Klaus' anger was boiling over. Caroline knew that it was more out of fear than anything else, but the lady behind the desk didn't know him like she did.

"Nik," she walked up beside him and his face shocked her. It was pure desperation. "Let me." She placed her hand on his arm. He didn't respond, so she continued.

"I'm sorry," she told the lady. "We were told that Rebekah Mikaelson was in a car accident, and they wouldn't tell us anything until we came up here. Is there any way you could tell us what happened?"

Klaus pushed off the desk, frustrated that it was taking so long to get any kind of answer. He stayed close to the desk though, listening to what was being said.

"I'm sorry Miss, but I don't know anything. You are just going to have to wait until a doctor is available to come speak with you." The lady's sharp features were stern. It took everything in Caroline not to tell her off, but she had to remind herself that the lady was just doing her job.

_Couldn't she be a little nicer about it?_ Caroline thought to herself. She forced a smile, "Thank you." _For nothing_, she added mentally.

Caroline wrapped herself around Klaus' torso as they made their way over to the waiting area by Kol. As he hung up the phone, he looked up at the two of them. "What did they say?"

Caroline shook her head. "We have to wait for a doctor to come tell us."

"Well, I just talked to Elijah. He's catching the next flight out, and he was going to call Finn," Kol told them both, but Caroline seemed to be the only one responding to him as she nodded.

Time continued to slowly tick by as the silence took over. Klaus was leaned forward in his chair with his elbows on his knees and his head resting against his hands. He would randomly jump up, surprising Caroline, and start pacing. Kol was leaned back against his chair, and Caroline was sitting between the two.

"Why aren't they coming?" Kol groaned.

Caroline sighed as she shrugged, "I have no idea."

"What did I do to make him mad this time?" Kol motioned to his brother, who was up pacing and couldn't hear him. He looked upset about someone being mad at him for the first time.

"He's not mad at you, Kol," she turned in her chair so she was facing him. "He's scared for Rebekah. He's not even talking to me that much."

"I'm scared too, but ignoring everyone isn't going to make her better," he snapped.

"You and Nik are different. You have different ways of dealing with things."

Klaus joined them at the chairs again, and spoke to them directly for the first time since they had arrived. "This is getting ridiculous."

Caroline agreed, and she marched straight over to the desk again, set on getting some answers. The two Mikaelson men were sitting there surprised at the determination in her stance. "Look, we have been waiting here for over an hour now and we still haven't gotten any answers. Those two," she pointed behind her at Klaus and Kol, "are waiting to see if their sister is even alive. So excuse me if I'm being rude, but I would like for you to call a doctor out here immediately."

The lady behind the desk looked at Caroline, her face emotionless. "Let me call back there," she told her as she reached for the phone and dialed an extension. A minute or two later she hung up and looked at Caroline again. "They just got out of surgery. Someone will be up here soon."

Caroline's jaw dropped open. _Surgery? They were doing surgery and they didn't tell anyone?_ _It must have been really bad._ Caroline thought to herself. She let out a small thank you as she returned to Klaus and Kol.

"What did she say?" Kol and Klaus asked at the same time.

"Um," Caroline tried to keep the worry from her face as much as she could. "A doctor will be out here soon."

"What took so long?" Kol was still irritated.

"She said that they just got out of surgery." Caroline looked at her hands so she didn't have to see either guy's reaction.

"Surgery? Why was she in surgery?" Klaus started to panic again.

"I don't know, Nik. The doctor will be out here soon."

It wasn't five minutes later when the doctor came strolling out, asking the desk lady where the Mikaelson's were. She pointed them out, and he walked over.

"Niklaus Mikaelson?" He asked in confirmation.

"Yes, I'm Niklaus." Klaus stood up, Kol and Caroline doing the same. "How's my sister?"

"Let's have a seat," the doctor motioned for them to sit.

"I don't want to sit. I've been sitting for over an hour. Please just tell me how Rebekah is." Klaus stated.

"Alright, then. I'll summarize for you what the fire department reported. It appears that Miss Mikaelson swerved to avoid something, which caused her to lose control of her car. Her vehicle was approximately 100 yards from the road. She rolled it, but luckily she was wearing her seatbelt. When the fire department arrived at the scene, the car was so heavily damaged that they didn't think your sister could have survived. They realized that she was still alive, but she was unconscious, so they had to use the Jaws of Life to cut her out. Because of the extent of her injuries, they flew her here to our trauma center."

Caroline had taken Klaus' hand while the doctor was speaking. She wanted to be there for him, but she also needed him.

"Are you sure you don't want to sit?" The doctor asked.

Klaus' eyes were getting misty, and Caroline was already wiping tears from her own face. "Go on." Klaus struggled to speak.

The doctor nodded before continuing. "When she came in, she had a pneumothorax, a small decompressed skull fracture, and we had to perform a splenectomy."

"Excuse me," Caroline butted in. The doctor seemed oblivious to the three confused expressions of the people in front of him. "English, please!"

"Oh, right, sorry." The doctor began again. "She came in with a deflated lung, so a chest tube had to be put in to re-inflate it. She had a small decompressed skull fracture which is basically a dent in her skull, but it wasn't enough to cause any brain damage. The major surgery that we just performed was a splenectomy, which just means the removal of her spleen. Her spleen had been lacerated, and it was bleeding out. We had to give her a blood transfusion. I want you to know that we almost lost her on the operating table, but she pulled through, so she's obviously a fighter. She has a broken arm, a broken femur, and the small skull fracture that I mentioned earlier. She will have to remain in ICU for at least a couple of days. She will be intubated on a ventilator until she begins to regain her consciousness."

Caroline's hand was over her mouth in shock as the doctor began to list injury after injury. She didn't realize that Klaus' grip on her hand was becoming tighter and tighter. She wasn't aware of anything except what the doctor was saying. As soon as the doctor stopped talking, her gaze shifted to Klaus who was fighting the tears that were threatening to fall.

"Will she be alright?" Klaus asked.

The doctor didn't look like he wanted to make any promises. "We are doing everything we can to make sure she will be. These next 48 hours are crucial."

Kol was so stunned by the news that he slumped into one of the chairs again. Caroline was depending on Klaus' strength to keep her from falling as well.

"When can we see her?" She choked out, her voice filled with emotion.

"When I was back there, they were moving her into a room. You should be able to go back in about an hour." He waited to see if anyone would respond before he continued. "Do you have any more questions?"

Klaus shook his head, so the doctor nodded once and then walked off, disappearing behind the big white doors. Klaus walked back over to the chair he had been previously sitting in and plopped down. He leaned forward again, burying his face in his hands. Caroline felt helpless. She knew there was nothing that she could do that would take away his pain.

"I should go try to call Elijah," Kol said as he stood up. Caroline nodded once, and he disappeared.

Caroline couldn't stand it anymore. She walked over to Klaus, and squatted down in front of him. She pulled his hands away from his face and saw his red puffy eyes which almost made her break down. She took his hands in hers. "What can I do?" She asked, her voice cracking.

"Just being here with me is enough." He whispered back. He pulled her into his lap, squeezing her in an embrace. "Thank you."

* * *

An hour later they were allowed to go into her room. Caroline gasped when she saw the bruised up girl in front of her with wires going in every direction. She had a bandage wrapped around her head, her arm in a cast, and a tube coming out of her mouth that helped her breathe. She wanted Rebekah to wake up right then, but the blonde looked like she was in a deep sleep. Caroline could tell that Klaus was having a hard time looking at his sister, while Kol was talking to Rebekah like she was awake having a conversation with him.

The whole time, Caroline felt awkward. She didn't know whether she should say something or be quiet. Should she hold Klaus' hand or should she leave him alone? She finally decided that she needed to get out, so she went to pick up food for everyone. While she was out, she called Bonnie. She needed her best friend in that moment.

"Hey, Care," the cheery voice answered on the other end of the line.

"Hey, Bonnie. What are you doing?"

"I am trying to convince Jeremy to go see the new Nicholas Sparks' movie with me, but he says chick flicks are stupid." Bonnie said. "What are you doing?"

Caroline took that moment to break down, letting her emotions run over. She was sobbing as she told Bonnie what happened, how scared she was, and how devastated Klaus was. Bonnie was really worried about Caroline driving with how upset she was.

"Is Rebekah going to be okay?" Bonnie asked.

"The doctor wouldn't give us a yes or no answer. I think she will be, but what if she's not? I don't think Nik could handle it if he lost her." Caroline's voice was slurred from her crying.

"Care, he's not going to lose her. You just have to have faith that she's going to be alright. You've got to be strong for Klaus right now."

"I know," Caroline was trying to dry her tears. "I just feel like I'm not doing anything for him. I feel helpless."

"He told you that you being there was helping him. He loves you, Care, so just be there for him."

"I will. Thanks for listening to me vent, Bon." Caroline choked out a laugh.

"Of course. What are friends for? Let me know how everything goes, okay?" Caroline could practically hear Bonnie's smile through her voice, which lifted her spirits.

"I will, I promise." She told her before hanging up the phone, and going to buy food for the group.

She walked in and gave everyone their food, and the conversation began to pick up a little. She could tell that neither of the guys were as upset as they originally were now that they were getting to be with their sister. It calmed her own worry a little to see Klaus attempt to smile at her every now and then. They continued to keep the conversation going with small talk for the rest of the evening.

"Visiting hours are over." A nurse that they had never seen before stuck her head in when it was about ten o'clock.

"Do we all have to go?" Kol asked her before she left.

"One person is allowed to stay the night with her," she said before disappearing.

"I'll stay," Klaus said quickly.

"Nik, I think you should go home and get some rest." Caroline suggested. She was still worried about him.

"I'm fine. You two go." He dug in his pocket and handed Caroline his car keys.

She threw the keys to Kol and told him she would be out there in a minute, and he took the hint and left. "I really wish you would come with us." She told Klaus.

"I don't want to leave her, Caroline." His eyes started tearing up again.

Caroline knelt down so she was more at his level. "You are not leaving her, Nik. She would want you to get some rest and take a break from this hospital. We've been here all day."

He shook his head. "I can't go. I'm sorry, love."

She sighed. "Okay, fine. I'll be back tomorrow morning." She kissed him quickly before leaving the hospital.

That night Caroline decided to stay at the Mikaelson mansion. Kol wasn't letting anyone see how upset he was, but she wanted to be there just in case he needed someone. She walked upstairs to Klaus' room to find a pair of pajamas. She changed, and chose to sleep in his room for the night. She wanted to feel close to him.

As she lay in bed, she started questioning her decision to go to New York. Maybe this was a sign that they were supposed to stay in Mystic Falls. However, everything inside of her was telling her to go to New York. She didn't want to go if Klaus wasn't going, though. She didn't want to be that far from him. She didn't want to be away from him at all, actually. Him being at the hospital while she was at his house was bad enough. She buried her face in his pillow and fell asleep, exhausted from the emotionally draining day she had had.

* * *

"Niklaus," there was a knock on the bedroom door. Caroline was too out of it to even answer, so it came again. "Niklaus, open the door."

She didn't recognize the voice, and she immediately sat up.

The door swung open. "Niklaus, I've been out here for ages," the British man's eyes grew large. "I'm so sorry. I was looking for Niklaus."

Caroline stared at the man standing in front of her. He had brown eyes and brown hair, and Caroline realized he looked quite a bit like Kol. "Elijah?" Caroline asked.

"And you are?" He asked.

"I'm Caroline. I'm Nik's girlfriend." She climbed out of bed.

"Ah, Caroline, I've heard so much about you." He smiled, and Caroline could sense the genuineness in his expression.

"All good I hope," Caroline smiled back.

"Of course. So, where is my little brother?"

"Nik is at the hospital. He stayed there last night, and Kol and I came here. I couldn't get Nik to leave." She told him.

Elijah's smile returned. "Niklaus will never leave Rebekah. He has that big brother syndrome," he winked.

"Well, I guess I'm going to get ready. Then we can go up to the hospital if you'd like?" She replied.

"Sounds wonderful," he turned to leave, and Caroline saw Kol walking over from across the hall.

"Elijah!" His arms were open wide.

"Hello, Kol," the older brother said as he hugged him.

Caroline closed the door and walked to the bathroom. She was pleasantly surprised by Elijah so far. He seemed to be very nice, which was funny compared to the other two brothers she knew. Kol was mischievous and Klaus had the reputation of being a jerk, which she learned was far from the truth.

After Caroline finished getting ready, she grabbed a pair of clean clothes for Klaus, and the three climbed into Klaus' car and headed for the hospital. They stopped in for a quick breakfast before, and Caroline ordered something to take to Klaus, knowing that hospital food was terrible. They went straight to Rebekah's room when they arrived.

Klaus was still asleep in one of the chairs across from Rebekah's bed when they entered. Caroline walked over to him and gently shook his shoulder. He wiped his eyes, trying to clear his vision.

"Caroline?" He asked, sleepily.

"Hey, sleepy head," she smiled. "I brought you some clean clothes and something to eat. I hope you're hungry."

"I am starving." He told her as he pushed himself up in the chair he had been lounging in.

"Niklaus?"

Klaus' head shot up and towards the doorway. He had not been expecting that voice. "Elijah?" He stood up.

"How have you been?" Elijah asked.

Caroline noticed that there was tension between the two of them, and wondered what could have caused it. They didn't seem thrilled to see each other, but they didn't seem unhappy either.

"Things could be better," Klaus motioned towards Rebekah's still form.

Elijah nodded. "Has there been any change?"

"No," Klaus sounded exhausted. "We are just waiting for her to wake up now."

"Where's Finn?" Kol butted in, changing the subject.

"He had some loose ends to tie up. You know Finn. But he said he would be here as soon as he could." Elijah told him.

Caroline saw Klaus practically roll his eyes before he grabbed the fresh pair of clothes she laid out for him and went in the restroom to change. _What is going on between these brothers?_ Caroline wondered to herself as she took an available chair in the room.

Kol and Elijah were engaged in a conversation of their own, Klaus was still in the restroom changing, and Caroline was sitting awkwardly alone in the corner when the doctor came in.

"Hello again everyone," he said as he entered the room. Then, he realized that there was a new face among the crowd, so he turned to Elijah and extended his hand. "I'm Dr. Snyder, Miss Mikaelson's physician."

Elijah took his hand and shook it. "I'm Elijah, Rebekah's brother."

Klaus walked out of the restroom and added his old clothes to the bag that Caroline used to bring his new ones in.

"It's nice to meet you Elijah. I see that Rebekah must have been well taken care of with all these brothers around," he smiled.

"There's still one more on the way!" Kol chimed in.

"Wow," the doctor didn't know how they were going to fit in the room when they were all here. "Well, I just wanted to come in and discuss with you how your sister did through the night. Would you all like to take a seat if you can find an empty one?"


	16. Chapter 16

**Hello lovely readers! I know it's been a little longer than usual… sorry! Thank you to everyone who is continuing to read, follow, favorite, and review this story! There's some talk in the reviews about a love triangle… there won't be a love triangle between Elijah, Klaus, and any girl! Lol and about NY, just hang in there with me! **

**By the way….. I'M AN AUNT NOW! :) **

**But back to the story… Happy reading!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or its characters…**

"We came in this morning and took your sister for some updated scans, as Niklaus knows," the doctor gestured towards Klaus. "According to those results, it seems that the brain swelling has gone down some, but not enough to be of any significant change. For now, we will keep her sedated and on the ventilator so her body can continue to hopefully make improvements. We're not out of the critical stages yet, but as we confirmed before, she's a fighter." He smiled reassuringly.

"So when will she wake up?" Caroline asked, and then looked around the room at the brothers, embarrassed that she asked instead of one of them. She didn't want them to feel like she was intruding, but Klaus reached for her hand and squeezed it, letting her know that it was alright.

The doctor shrugged. "It's up to Rebekah now." He looked around the room while Caroline nodded, waiting for another question. When no one said anything he spoke again, "Does anyone have any other questions?"

"I believe that's all for now," Elijah told the doctor, who nodded and stood up.

Caroline noticed that Klaus' jaw clenched in frustration, and her brow automatically furrowed. She really couldn't forget to ask him what was up with that.

"I'll be in and out throughout the day," Dr. Snyder said before leaving the room.

When the doctor left, Caroline turned to Klaus. "How did you sleep last night?"

"Terribly, to be honest," he forced a smile. "And you?"

"I slept pretty well. I stayed at your place," she told him. She realized that he hadn't eaten yet, so she pulled his food out and handed it to him. "You need to eat."

He started digging into his food. Elijah walked over and took the closest empty seat to his brother. "Niklaus, tell me how you have been. I would have been here for your graduation had you chosen to walk across the stage."

"I didn't see the point, brother. I still received my diploma whether I walked or not," Klaus replied, glancing at his brother.

Caroline sat quietly as she observed the exchange between the two brothers.

"I see," Elijah stated, obviously feeling uncomfortable with his brother's snappiness. "Have you found a gallery to work with yet?"

Kol laughed from the seat beside his sister's bed. "You're kidding right? Niklaus actually showing his artwork to anyone but Caroline? I'd like to see that happen."

"Shut up, Kol," Klaus growled.

Caroline knew that he was sleep deprived and probably grumpy, so she decided to let it go and not say anything.

"Oh, I didn't realize that you still weren't showing your work. I had just assumed…" Elijah began.

Klaus cut him off. "Well you assumed wrong." He stood up and stormed out of the room.

Elijah stared after his younger brother too shocked to move. Kol looked just as surprised as he too stared at the door that Klaus disappeared out of.

"I'll go find him," Caroline stood up and walked out of the room.

Caroline looked down the hallway both ways, but didn't see Klaus anywhere. She took a wild guess and went right, which led her down a maze of turns before she walked past an empty waiting room. She took a second glance when she saw a figure standing in the corner of the room looking out a window. She leaned against the doorway, but he never noticed her.

"Nik?" She finally called to him.

"You can come in, Caroline," he called back without turning around.

She walked up behind him, laying a hand on his back. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." His hands were placed in his front pockets as he continued to stare out the window.

"Then why did you barge out of the room just now?" She gently prodded.

"I'm just frustrated," he admitted as he turned around so he could face Caroline.

"Why?"

"For one thing, I'm angry that Rebekah is in that bed and I can't do anything about it. I can't make her alright. I can't make her wake up. And I'm in a bad mood because I didn't get much sleep. Do I need to go on?" He snapped.

"I understand," Caroline couldn't be angry with him.

"How could you possible understand? She's not your sister."

Caroline sighed. "She's not my sister, Nik, but when you hurt I hurt. And I like to think of Rebekah as a part of my family, so I do understand."

He took a deep breath and the expression in his eyes changed from anger to regret. "I'm sorry, love. I'm not angry at you."

She wrapped her arms around him. "It's okay. I know you aren't. But I want you to make me a promise."

"What is it?"

"You are going to go home tonight and sleep," she stated.

"Caroline," he started shaking his head. "I can't leave her."

"Nik, you are not leaving her. You are going home to sleep. If there are any changes, someone will call you." He was still shaking his head when Caroline started speaking again. "I will stay here if it makes you feel any better."

"Caroline, I'm not going anywhere."

"Niklaus Mikaelson," Caroline was starting to get frustrated. He was surprised at the tone in her voice, and let her continue instead of trying to stop her. "You have two other brothers here that are more than capable of staying with Rebekah while you get some rest. I will not take no for an answer." She crossed her arms over her chest to emphasize her point.

Klaus wanted to stand firm in his decision, but he couldn't help but smile. "No one tells me what to do, love, remember?" He teased.

"Well, then, I guess you're going to have to make an exception this time." She smiled back.

"Only for you, sweetheart." He leaned down and kissed her passionately on the lips. He felt like he hadn't kissed her in days.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer to her before pulling away and pressing her forehead to his. "I love you, Nik. And Rebekah knows that you love her. She won't be mad that you weren't by her side 24/7."

He nodded. "I love you, too."

"Are you ready to go back in there?" Caroline asked.

"Not really. My older brother isn't someone I'd like to have a conversation with at the moment."

Caroline was confused. She had never heard any of the siblings speak badly about Elijah. "What is going on between the two of you? He's been nothing but friendly since he got here."

Klaus ran his hands through his hair, pulling further away from Caroline. "He hasn't been here for her in years, and now he just expects to come in and take over?"

"I don't think that's what he is trying to do. He's just trying to find out how you all have been doing."

"I'm the one who has stayed with them, not him. He can't just pretend like he hasn't been in Europe this entire time." He was growing more and more frustrated.

"Nik, you are reading too much into this. He was scared for his sister, and he came home to make sure she was alright. He is not trying to step on anyone's toes." She was looking him straight in the eye so he would believe her.

"You don't know that," he commented.

"Why don't you give him a chance before you start jumping to conclusions?"

As if he could sense they were talking about him, Elijah knocked lightly on the doorframe. "May I come in?" He asked when Caroline and Klaus looked towards the doorway.

"Yes, come on in. I think you two need to talk." Caroline stated as she looked back and forth between the brothers. She could see that Klaus wanted to stop her, but she quickly left before he could.

"Feisty one, isn't she?" Elijah asked as he made his way further into the waiting room.

Klaus smirked. "That she is."

"She would have to be to put up with you, brother," Elijah's expression grew to match Klaus'.

"She can hold her own, that's for sure."

"Can we talk, Niklaus?" Elijah asked as he gestured towards the chairs.

"I don't think we have anything to talk about," Klaus replied as he rejected his brother's offer to take a seat.

"Your girlfriend and I feel that we do." He took a seat even though his brother didn't.

Klaus sighed. "What do we need to talk about?"

"There's obviously something the matter. You are mad at me for some reason, and I would like it if you told me what it was."

The younger brother finally gave in. "Why has it taken you so long to come back? How could you desert Kol and Rebekah?"

"Niklaus, I had no idea that you wanted me here. As for Rebekah and Kol, I talk to them every week, and they have never seemed to mind that I was in London. My life is in London, but I would have come if you'd have asked." Elijah was upset that his brother felt like he had abandoned them.

"Would you? Would you have dropped everything to come here and be with us? I know that Finn wouldn't have." Klaus didn't feel like his brother was telling the truth.

Elijah stood and walked over to Klaus, laying his hand on Klaus' shoulder. "I promise you, brother. I am not Finn. If you asked me to move here tomorrow, I'd do it."

Klaus searched his brother's face, looking for any signs of dishonesty, but he found none. He sighed again. "I wouldn't ask you to do that. I'm sorry." He matched his brother's action by placing a hand on Elijah's shoulder. "I was just angry. It was like sitting in the waiting room again all those years ago for our mother and father. I was afraid Rebekah wouldn't make it."

"But she did. And I'm glad you had Kol and Caroline here with you. I wish I could have gotten here sooner, which is of course a downfall of living so far away." Elijah stated.

"You're here now, which is what matters. Rebekah will be happy to see you when she wakes up."

"Let's just hope she doesn't greet me the way you did." The two brothers smiled at Elijah's last comment before they made their way back to Rebekah's room.

* * *

When they walked into the hospital room, Klaus' body stiffened.

"What are you doing here?" He snarled.

"Nik, stop. Hayley is here to see her friend." Caroline walked over to place a comforting hand on Klaus' chest.

"Hayley is the reason Rebekah is in that bed." Klaus jabbed a finger towards Rebekah. "And let's not forget what she did to you," he told Caroline.

"She is not the reason Rebekah was in an accident. That's not fair, Nik." Caroline stated.

Kol had left the room while his brothers were off talking, and Caroline had time to talk to Hayley. Hayley had told Caroline how badly Tyler had treated her, and Caroline felt sorry for her. Caroline didn't even miss Tyler anymore, so talking about him didn't affect her. The saddest part was that Hayley had truly thought Tyler loved her. She couldn't help but feel sorry for the brunette sitting in front of her. Klaus, on the other hand, still hadn't forgiven Hayley for everything.

"Hold on. How does Hayley fit into all of this?" Elijah asked. Caroline had forgotten that Elijah would know who Hayley was.

"She's the one that our sister was going to see." Klaus spat. Caroline's hand was not comforting him at all, nor was it causing him to ease up on Hayley.

"You can't blame her for the accident, Niklaus. That's crazy."

"She's also half of the reason that Caroline was heartbroken not long after we got to town." He turned to Caroline. "Why would you let her stay?"

"I told you before that I'm over that. She is Rebekah's friend, and we decided that Rebekah was going to make her own decisions, remember?" Caroline was trying to remind him of the conversation they had had when Klaus found out that Rebekah was hanging out with Hayley again.

"We also decided that I wasn't as forgiving. Do you remember that?" Klaus replied.

"Klaus, I'm sorry." Hayley spoke up for the first time. "You know that I would never want anything to happen to Rebekah. She's like a sister to me."

"She's not your sister, and if I had my way, I'd kick you out. However, it seems as if I'm outnumbered." He looked among the faces in the room, and saw that Caroline and Elijah weren't going to make her leave.

"I just wanted to make sure she was alright," Hayley tried to defend herself.

"A day after her accident?" He laughed. "You're really a true friend."

"When she didn't show up, I figured she just decided to do something else. It's not like you would call me and tell me that anything was wrong!" She blasted back.

"You would be the last person on my list to call," Klaus replied, and his voice wasn't as loud as hers, but the anger was radiating in his low tone.

"What is going on in here?" A nurse charged in. "The patient does not need to hear you arguing. She's going through enough!"

"I think it would be best if you left, Hayley," Caroline told her. "We will tell Rebekah you were here." Hayley looked at her like she didn't believe her, so Caroline added, "I promise."

Hayley nodded, and turned to Elijah. "It was nice to see you again," she told him before glancing at Klaus one last time, and leaving.

"I must be missing a lot while I'm over in London," Elijah commented, trying to lighten the mood, but it didn't much help with Klaus'.

* * *

The day turned to night as Caroline and two of the Mikaelson brothers caught Elijah up on what was going on in Mystic Falls. The nurses walked in and out throughout the day to see if there had been any change in Rebekah, but unfortunately there was nothing significant. As the evening progressed, Caroline noticed that Klaus kept yawning and could barely keep his eyes open.

"Maybe we should go ahead and go home," Caroline said, looking at Klaus.

"No, no, I'm fine." Klaus stated, trying to wake himself up.

"You are falling asleep sitting up. You are not fine," Caroline gave Klaus a look that let him know that she didn't believe him.

"Caroline, please," Klaus nearly rolled his eyes.

"Niklaus, maybe you should listen to her. You look exhausted," Elijah butted in.

"Fine," Klaus stood up. "Who is staying here tonight with Rebekah?" Caroline stood up to join him.

"I'll stay," Kol spoke up.

Klaus looked like he was about to object when Caroline placed her hand on his arm. "We'll see you in the morning, Kol," she said, giving Klaus a warning look.

Klaus sighed. "We'll be here first thing in the morning. If there's any change call me. Do you understand me?"

Kol nodded. "I will."

Elijah, Caroline, and Klaus left the hospital, and went back to the Mikaelson mansion. When they got in, Klaus immediately led his brother to a guest room before excusing himself to his own room.

"Is there anything else that you need?" Caroline asked the elder brother when Klaus was gone.

"No, and if I think of something, I'm sure I can find it." Elijah smiled.

Caroline nodded. "Alright." She turned to leave, but Elijah stopped her.

"Caroline?"

She turned back around so that she was facing him. "Yes?"

"Thank you." He stated.

Caroline's brow creased. "For what?"

"For being here for my siblings, and for not giving up on Niklaus. I know that he can be," he halted, trying to find the word he was looking for, "difficult at times."

"Nik has been there for me plenty of times. I was happy to be there for him, and Rebekah and Kol," she told him.

"Well I'm glad he found you."

Caroline smiled at him before leaving his room and walking up to Klaus'. She lightly knocked on his door.

"Come in," he called. She walked in to see him sitting on the edge of his bed. He looked up to see who entered. "You don't have to knock, love."

"Well I didn't want to just barge in," she told him as she walked over to stand in front of him.

He grabbed her hands in his, pulling her closer, and looked up at her. "Well you're always welcome," he smirked.

"Good to know," she smiled back before leaning down and kissing him. "Well, I should probably get home. You need to get some sleep."

"Stay here."

"Nik, I really need to go home," she replied.

"Why? You will probably just be alone, and you know how I feel about that," he pleaded with her.

She laughed and shook her head. "You know you can't keep me in your sight twenty four hours a day."

He smiled, letting his dimples show themselves. "I can try."

She rolled her eyes and laughed again. Then her phone started ringing. She pulled it out of her pocket so she could see the screen. She didn't recognize the number. "I should probably take this. I don't know who it is," she told him.

"Hello?" She answered the call.

"Is this Caroline Forbes?" The male voice on the other end of the phone asked.

"Yes, sir."

"Hello, Caroline. My name is Owen Peterson. I'll be your new boss here in New York. I wanted to call and welcome you to the company, and make sure that you were able to find a place here and that everything was going smoothly."

Caroline glanced over at Klaus. She was so worried about New York, but she didn't know if it would be a good idea to bring it up until after Rebekah was awake. "Oh yes, hello." Caroline tried to focus on the phone call instead. "Actually, my boyfriend's sister was in a terrible car accident and I haven't had that much time to find a place yet." She walked towards the dresser so she could avoid Klaus' gaze.

"I'm sorry to hear that. Is she going to be alright?" Mr. Peterson asked.

"She's still in ICU, and we are waiting for her to wake up."

"I can give you another week before I will need you to be here, but that is the best I can do. We are short staffed, and I just can't afford to not have anyone for longer than that," he told her.

"I completely understand. That extra time would be great. Thank you, sir." Caroline glanced into the mirror that was in front of her above the dresser so she could see Klaus' face. He looked upset.

"I look forward to meeting you, Caroline. I've heard such wonderful things about you." He said before adding, "And I hope that your boyfriend's sister gets well as quick as possible. I will hopefully talk to you soon."

"Thank you again. Good bye." Caroline said into the phone before hanging up.

"Your new boss?" Klaus asked.

Caroline turned so she was facing Klaus. "Uh… yeah. He told me that I could stay here for an extra week." She was playing with her phone while speaking.

"You should go, sweetheart. You don't have to stay here and sit with us in the hospital every day." He was still sitting on the edge of his bed.

She walked over to him and placed her hands on his shoulders. "I would rather sit in the hospital with you every day than go to New York and wonder what is going on." There was no question in her voice. "Plus, I don't want to leave until you are ready so we can go together."

"Caroline," he looked down. "I don't think I'm going to be able to go."

"No, Nik. We already decided we were going together." She took a seat beside him on the bed. "I don't want to go without you."

"I had every intention of going with you. You know that." He looked her in the eyes. "But Rebekah is going to be in the hospital for a while, and then she will need someone to take care of her when she gets home. There's just no way."

"I understand that, but can't Kol help her?"

Klaus gave her a look that seemed to question her seriousness. "Kol? Can you imagine Kol taking care of anyone, sweetheart?"

She sighed. "I know. I'm being selfish, but I don't want to leave you." She was looking down at her fidgeting hands.

He grabbed her chin between his thumb and forefinger so she had to look at him. "I don't want you to go either, but it would be selfish of _me_ to ask you to stay."

"Can we just agree to talk about this again when it's time to leave?" Her eyes begged him.

"Yes," he told her before covering her mouth with his.

He leaned back on his pillows, pulling her with him. She lay on his chest as he rubbed her back. And they both fell asleep after another exhausting day.


	17. Chapter 17

**Hello lovely readers! THANK YOU to everyone who continues to follow, favorite, and review this story! I've almost made it to 100 reviews! Thank you, thank you, thank you!**

**Sarah.A.A- you asked me if Finn or Elijah was going to be a pain… well Finn kind of turned out to be, but like I said, he won't be a main character, so there's very little of him! :)**

**This chapter is quite a bit longer than the last, so I hope you enjoy! Please let me know what you think. Happy reading…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or its characters…**

Klaus woke up to knocking on his bedroom door. He immediately looked at Caroline, who was curled into his side, to see if the sound had woken her up also. When he realized that she was still sleeping, he slipped away from her as gently as possible before walking to the door. He swung it open in time to see Elijah with his hand raised about to knock again.

"Do you mind?" He growled.

Elijah should have been surprised at the angry tone coming from his younger brother, but in all honesty he was used to it. It didn't faze him anymore. "I thought you might like to know that our other brother has arrived."

"Could you not have waited until I was awake?" Klaus snapped again, unintentionally waking Caroline up.

"Nik?" She called sleepily.

Klaus turned in the direction of her voice, and Elijah realized for the first time that his brother was not alone. The older Mikaelson cleared his throat, embarrassed that he was intruding.

"One sec, sweetheart," Klaus called back to the waking blonde before turning back to his brother. "We will be down soon."

Elijah nodded once, and then walked off with his hands behind his back. Klaus closed the door and made his way back to his bed. He crawled under the covers again, pulling Caroline against him. He just wanted to feel close to her for a while before they had to get back to reality.

"What was all that about?" Caroline quietly asked as she threw her arm over Klaus' torso to bring him closer. She never opened her eyes, sleep still trying to overcome her.

"Finn is here," he whispered back, his fingers running through her soft curls.

"Maybe we should get up," she told him.

As if it was a reflex, his arm tightened around her holding her in place by his side. "Not yet. I just want to be here with you right now."

She snuggled her head into the crook of his neck, content with just lying there beside him. He leaned down and placed a kiss on the top of her head. After a brief silence, Caroline looked up to see what had him so quiet. She could tell that he was lost in thought, so she softly kissed his jawline to get his attention. She saw the smile grow on his face before he looked down to catch her eyes with his.

"What are you thinking about?" She asked.

"I was just thinking," he told her as he pressed a hand to her cheek.

She nuzzled into his touch. "Anything important?" Her blue eyes still locked with his.

He shook his head. "Nothing that deserves to take up the time I could be spending with you."

She smiled before reaching up to capture his lips with hers. She intended to pull away, but his hands captured her face, holding her to him before she could. Their lips were moving in perfect sync as he pulled her body closer to his, his hands sliding down her sides. Caroline felt herself getting lost in the moment as her hands tangled in the curly hair at the nape of his neck. She could feel his mouth forming into a grin as he felt her reposition herself so she was lying on top of his chest. His hand moved to her lower back and his thumb began to rub lovingly back and forth. He couldn't get enough of her, but he chose that moment to respect her wishes and pull away, to which he received a pout.

He chuckled. "I'm just doing as you asked, love."

"I know," she told him before meeting his lips with hers once more and pulling away. "Thank you." She started to get up. "We should probably get ready to go downstairs."

He pulled her back against him quickly. "I don't want to."

She laughed. "Nik, we will have plenty of time alone together in the future." When she saw that he had a doubtful expression, she quickly planted a kiss on his cheek and sat up. "I promise." She climbed out of the bed and made her way for the shower, grabbing a pair of clothes as she went.

Klaus laid in bed as she got ready, his thoughts returning to New York. He had nearly made up his mind that he was for sure staying with Rebekah, but a part of him was fighting for him to go to New York with Caroline. It was harder to push away the latter part when he was with the bubbly blonde who had a piece of his heart. He sighed. No woman was ever supposed to make him feel that vulnerable. He was just setting himself up for heartache, but there was something about Caroline, that no matter how hard he tried to avoid the feelings, he couldn't help them. He never dreamed he would be telling a woman that he loved her, but here he was. Before his thoughts could go any further, Caroline practically skipped in the room with the biggest smile she had had in days. Klaus couldn't help but return the expression.

"Are you going to get ready?" Her smile was still in place.

"I would rather not," he told her honestly.

She rolled her eyes. "You act like talking to your family is the worst thing in the world."

"Only when it's Finn," he smirked.

"Whatever," she replied. "I'm going with or without you. You choose." She slowly began her route to the door, giving him time to stop her. However, instead of his voice stopping her, which she expected, his arms did. He wrapped his arms around her waist, laying his head on her shoulder. She laughed as she leaned back against him, covering his arms with her hands. "I guess that means that you're coming?"

"Of course, I don't want you around my brothers without me," he whispered in her ear.

She rolled her eyes again, but this time he couldn't see. "And why not?"

"Have you seen yourself, love? I'd be a fool to let any man around you when I'm not close by." He flipped her around so he could look her in the eyes.

She wrapped her arms around his neck. "That doesn't sound controlling at all," she smiled, but before he had time to comment, she continued. "I only have eyes for you, Niklaus. You don't have to worry about anyone else."

He leaned down and kissed her once passionately before releasing her. "Wait for me. I'm just going to take a quick shower."

She nodded and decided to make herself comfortable on his bed again as she checked her phone to see what she had been missing.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Klaus stepped out of the bathroom, his hair still wet as he pulled a shirt over his head. Caroline tried to keep herself from admiring his toned abs, but she failed.

"Like what you see, sweetheart?" He smirked.

Caroline shot him a glare before turning back to her phone. "Not bad," she replied sarcastically.

His smirk was still in place as he made his way over to her and held out his hand. "Ready to go?"

She threw her phone down on the bed and took his hand, letting him lead her downstairs. "So, what should I know about Finn?" She asked on the way.

"He doesn't care about anyone but himself. If he had any other choice, he probably wouldn't be here right now. He was never close to any of us, too worried about pleasing our mother. He was definitely what you American's call a 'momma's boy,'" he told her.

"I'm glad to hear that you still think so highly of me, Niklaus," Finn stated as the couple walked into the living room.

Caroline's face turned red. She had no idea that he would be able to hear Klaus.

"Finn," Klaus nodded once as he acknowledged his brother.

Finn smirked, but Caroline noticed that it didn't look nearly as charming as when Klaus did it. The older Mikaelson turned to her. "And who is this?"

Klaus didn't like the way that Finn was looking Caroline up and down, so he moved so that he was blocking half of her body with his. "This is _my_ girlfriend, Caroline," Klaus made sure to emphasize that she was his.

Caroline felt a flutter in her stomach at hearing him call her his girlfriend. She didn't think it would ever get old.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Caroline," Finn held out his hand, pushing it past Klaus.

Caroline took his hand, intending on shaking it, but he had other plans. He pulled her knuckles up to his mouth and lightly brushed them with his lips. Caroline jerked her hand back as she heard a low growl in the back of Klaus' throat. She laid her hand on his back in comfort.

Finn's unpleasant smirk returned before he turned and walked back to the couch, taking a seat. He didn't bother trying to make conversation. He picked up the daily paper and began reading it again, not caring about being cordial.

"Ah, Niklaus, Caroline, good morning," Elijah stated as he entered the room. "Are you two ready to go to the hospital, or would you like to get something to eat first?"

Klaus was too annoyed with his brother to be hungry. "Let's just go to the hospital. Caroline and I will take our own car." He grabbed Caroline's hand and pulled her with him, not waiting for anyone to respond.

* * *

Rebekah woke up later that night, which excited them all, other than Finn, who chose not to show any emotion when he wasn't trying to get under Klaus' skin. Caroline had to continually calm Klaus down, reminding him that Finn didn't have any chance with her. Finn chose to leave after Rebekah had been awake for a full twenty four hours, which didn't really displease anyone. Rebekah had to stay in the hospital for a few days before she was allowed to go home, but even then she was to be supervised very closely. Without much persuasion, Elijah decided to take time off from work so he could help his brothers with Rebekah. The younger two Mikaelsons had told Elijah about Caroline's and Klaus' plans to go to New York when they weren't in the room, which made his decision to stay that much easier. He was hoping to put in a transfer so that he could move to the states and be there for his siblings full time. When Caroline heard the news, her hope that Klaus would be joining her in New York escalated. Klaus didn't have any excuse not to go now. However, the conversation between the couple hadn't come up yet, and Klaus was still dreading it.

"Quit treating me like a child. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself!" Rebekah screamed at Kol from her bedroom.

Klaus and Caroline giggled since it wasn't them who were being yelled at. Every one of them had been at the end of Rebekah's wrath at some point since they had been home.

"I wonder what Kol did this time," Caroline thought out loud.

"Who knows? I think Rebekah is getting worse as the days go on," Klaus replied.

Caroline's plane was scheduled to leave the next day, and she still hadn't brought it up to Klaus, but she knew that she couldn't keep putting it off. She had already chosen a loft on Fifth Avenue in Upper East Side Manhattan. It had two large bedrooms, a huge living room with a fireplace, a dining area, a dream kitchen, and a laundry room. Caroline couldn't believe that she had chosen such a place. She would never have been able to afford it if it hadn't been for Klaus. She took a deep breath before deciding that now was as good of a time as any to bring it up.

"So, you remember that my plane leaves tomorrow, right?" Caroline looked down at her lap, not wanting to see his reaction.

"Yes, Caroline, I know." There was no emotion in his tone.

"Well, shouldn't we get your plane ticket?" She still wouldn't meet his gaze.

"Caroline," he sighed. "I'm not going." He stood up and started pacing.

"Why?"

His head whipped around so he could look at her. "Why? Why?" He repeated.

She looked up at him with her brow furrowed.

"Caroline, did you forget that my sister was in a car accident? Or are you so selfish that you couldn't care less?"

She jumped off the bed, anger replacing the sadness. "No, Klaus, I didn't forget! I'm the one who was there when you got the call, remember? I'm the one that sat at the hospital with you while we waited for her to wake up. Don't you dare call me selfish!" She jabbed her finger at him.

"Well, that's how you're acting. You would rather me come with you to New York than for me to stay here with my sister, who needs me." He snapped back, her use of his old nickname adding to his irritation.

"She has Kol AND Elijah! I highly doubt it would matter to her if you left. And I'm sorry, but when we discussed going to New York together, I got the impression that you wanted to go with me as well. I guess I was wrong!" She grabbed her purse off of his dresser top, and stormed out the door and down the stairs.

"Don't walk away from me!" He called, but she didn't stop. "You were wrong! Why would I want to leave my family and my home?" He yelled after her, but the only reply he received was the slamming of the front door.

Elijah stuck his head out from his own room. "What is going on, brother?"

"Forget it." Klaus slammed his bedroom door as he went back inside. He was so angry that he knocked everything off of his bedside table. He was making his way around his room, knocking off or hitting anything he could find until he stood in front of his mirror above the dresser. He stopped, wondering how the object in the corner never caught his attention before. He picked it up, examining it. It was a picture of him and Caroline. He knew she would randomly snap pictures of the two of them, but he never knew she had put one in his room. If the circumstances had been any different, he would have smiled as he took in the smile on her face in the photograph, but he was just too angry. He threw the picture down on top of his dresser and groaned loudly. _Why does it hurt so badly?_ He wondered to himself, which only frustrated him more.

There was a light knock on the door. He yanked it open with a scowl on his face. Kol was standing there with his boyish smile in place. "Rebekah would like to see you."

Klaus sighed, but tried to pass his brother. Kol saw the room before Klaus had time to shut the door.

"What happened in here? Did you and Caroline have a little disagreement?" Kol smirked.

"Shut up, Kol," Klaus' shoulder rammed Kol's as he made his way to his sister's room.

"What was all the ruckus about?" Rebekah asked as soon as her older brother entered the room.

Klaus remained standing against a wall across from her bed. "Don't worry about it, Rebekah. What did you need?"

"Don't give me that, Nik. I know you better than anyone. Something is wrong." She pointed to the chair beside her bed. "Have a seat and tell me what happened. You have no choice."

He glared at her. "You don't tell me what to do, sister." He turned to walk out.

"Nik!" She called, which halted him in his steps. "Quit shutting me out. You won't tell anyone else, so you might as well tell me."

He rolled his eyes, but did as his little sister said. She was the only sibling that he allowed to talk to him like that. He took a seat beside her bed, and put his head in his hands.

"Now, what did you do?" She asked.

"What did I do? Why do you think that I did something?"

"Oh, come on, Nik." She sighed.

"I told Caroline that I wasn't going with her to New York," he said quietly.

"You what?!" Rebekah practically shouted, which caused her to flinch in pain.

"Easy, Rebekah," he grew concerned. "I just can't go. I need to be here with you."

"No, no, no." She shook her head. "You aren't using me as your excuse. I have Elijah and Kol here. I do not need you to stay. You are trying to push her away. I can see it, Nik, and she probably can too."

He jumped up and began pacing again. "Rebekah, I can't make that kind of commitment."

"Do you love her?"

Klaus stopped and turned to his sister. "What?"

"Do you love her, Nik? It's a simple question," she repeated.

"Yes, I do," he started walking again.

"Then quit making excuses. Go with her to New York, and be happy. You deserve it, brother." She stated, genuinely.

He shook his head. "I can't, Rebekah. It's for the best. I would just end up hurting her in the end." He really thought she would end up hurting him in the end, but he wasn't going to say that. He walked out of her room before giving her the chance to try to talk him into going with Caroline again.

* * *

Caroline was furious as she drove back to her mom's house,  
but above all else she was hurt. She knew that it was selfish of her to ask Klaus to go with her, but Rebekah was better now, so she didn't think it was that selfish. What hurt her most was that Klaus called her selfish, and that he told her that he never wanted to go with her in the first place. The more she thought about him saying the latter, the sadder she became. Tears were falling before she even realized what was happening. She was glad that at least they were slow instead of completely clouding her vision and causing her to have to pull over. She really needed to get home.

When she arrived home, she walked straight to her room and began packing. She needed to do anything to get her mind off of Klaus, but even packing didn't help. She decided that she needed her best friend, so she immediately called Bonnie, and Bonnie was there within twenty minutes.

"Hey, Care," Bonnie said when Caroline opened the front door, and wrapped the blonde in a hug. "Are you okay?"

Caroline began to cry again and shook her head. Bonnie continued to hold her best friend as she cried, not knowing what else to say or do. When Caroline got control of her emotions, she pulled away. "I'm sorry, Bon."

"Don't be." Bonnie smiled sadly. "What happened?"

Caroline gave her a quick recap.

"Oh, Care!" Bonnie hugged her again quickly. "I'm so sorry, but he's making a mistake."

"Is he?" Caroline asked. "It hurts so badly. I've never felt this way before, and we didn't even break up." She laughed with no humor. "Maybe he just doesn't love me like I love him. Maybe I'm the one making the mistake."

"If he doesn't love you, Care, then he's crazy. Any guy would be lucky to have you by their side."

Caroline squeezed her best friend's hands. "Thank you, Bonnie." She smiled. "You want to help me pack? I have a lot to do before tomorrow."

"Sure," Bonnie smiled back before following her best friend upstairs to the blonde's room.

The two girls went through Caroline's room, laughing when they came across pictures and objects that brought back childhood memories. Caroline secretly glanced at her phone about every hour expecting Klaus to call or text, but nothing ever came. Every time she realized that nothing was there, she became sad. Bonnie eventually had to leave because it was getting late, so Caroline was left alone. She made sure to address every box that needed to be shipped to her new place before she even attempted to sleep.

That night, she chose Klaus' pajamas that he had given her to sleep in. She breathed in his scent as she lay in bed, waiting for sleep to overcome her, but it wouldn't. She began to cry again at the realization that she would be in a big city where she knew no one, she would be starting a new job, and she would be staying in a loft that she could not afford without the man that was supposed to be going with her. _What if he breaks up with me?_ She began to panic, which caused the tears to fall quicker.

She watched the sun rise early that morning, never catching any sleep. She looked at her phone and tears threatened to fall again when Klaus' name didn't appear anywhere on it. She finally gave up on getting any sleep and crawled out of bed. She walked into her bathroom and took a quick shower. When she looked in the mirror she moaned. The dark circles under her eyes from her lack of sleep contrasted greatly against her porcelain skin. She tried to cover them with a little make up, but gave up. She just didn't care anymore. All she wanted to do was see Klaus, and that obviously wasn't going to happen.

Three hours before her departure time, she walked downstairs with her two suitcases. Her mom was sitting in the living room reading the paper and drinking a cup of coffee. Sherriff Forbes turned when she heard her daughter enter the room.

"Hey, Caroline, you ready to go?" She smiled.

Caroline nodded, but she didn't feel happy. "I was wondering if maybe you could take me to the airport."

"Me?" Her mother asked. "I thought one of the Mikaelsons was taking you and Klaus."

Caroline looked up towards the ceiling, trying to contain the tears that were threating to fall. "Um, no. I'm going by myself for now."

"Did something happen?" Her mother showed concern for her, but made no attempt to console her daughter.

"I don't want to talk about it. Can you just please take me to the airport? I would appreciate it." Caroline replied quickly.

"Sure," her mom stood up. "Let's go."

Caroline nodded, picked up her two suitcases, and followed her mom out to the car. The entire ride was quiet, neither one willing to strike up a conversation. However, it took everything in Caroline not to ask her mom to drive by the Mikaelson mansion. Caroline kept checking her phone off and on, but still there was nothing from Klaus, so he obviously didn't want to see her. She laid her head against the window as she watched the road and trees of her home pass her by.

Caroline and her mother pulled up at the airport more than two hours prior to her departure. Caroline quickly hugged her mom goodbye, neither one familiar with showing affection to the other. Plus, Caroline didn't know how much more she could take before she would break down and cry.

Caroline checked in her bags, and then made her way to security. It took her a good twenty minutes to get through security. She then set off to find her departure gate. When she finally found it, she sat down in one of the many empty chairs. She was obviously earlier than most people. Caroline realized the mistake that she had made because now all she had was time- time to think about Klaus, time to get nervous about going to New York, and time to realize how much she was going to miss her friends. She decided that she was going to call all of her friends to tell them goodbye one last time before she would have to board the plane. Besides, she had enough time. She called Bonnie first and then Elena. She told them to tell Damon and Jeremy goodbye for her. Lastly, she decided to call Matt. He had wanted to talk to her, so she figured now was a good time to work out their issues.

"Care?" Matt asked, shock apparent in his tone when he answered the phone.

"Hey, Matt."

"I'm so glad you called, Care. I'm so sorry." He started, but Caroline stopped him.

"Matt, it's okay. I forgive you." She told him.

"I had no idea how Tyler was treating you. I would never have been friends with him if I had."

She smiled to herself. "Thank you, Matt. I am actually at the airport getting ready to board my flight to New York. I just wanted to say goodbye before I left."

"Bye, Care. I'm going to miss you." He told her sincerely.

"I'll miss you too."

She hung up and looked at her watch- fifteen minutes. She scrolled through her phone until she found Klaus' name. Her finger hovered over the call button, but instead she turned off her screen.

_Now boarding flight 168 to New York City_. The lady over the intercom said.

Caroline took a deep breath. She dug her ticket out of her bag before grabbing her carryon. She walked up to the ticket counter and hesitated. She looked around the airport, expecting Klaus to come running down the hall to catch her. He was nowhere.

_This isn't a movie, Caroline_, she thought to herself.

She took one more deep breath, and then handed the lady her ticket. The lady smiled, and then motioned for her to continue down the jetway. Caroline forced herself to continue walking down the tunnel, because everything in her wanted to run back out and go to Klaus, but she stood strong.

Caroline found a seat near the front of the plane immediately, choosing one closest to the window. She made herself comfortable before turning to stare out the window. She scolded herself for being sad when she should have been happy, but it didn't help. She decided that she needed sleep, so she closed her eyes and leaned back against her chair. Her eyes hadn't been closed for more than a couple of minutes when something caught her attention.

"Is this seat taken?" The voice asked.

Caroline's eyes shot open and she looked at the man whose voice was so incredibly familiar. "Nik?"

**Cliffhanger! I know, haha, but at least it's a good cliffhanger right? Stay tuned…**


	18. Chapter 18

**Hello lovely readers! Thank you to everyone who is continuing to read, review, favorite, and follow this story! You are all awesome! And thank you to the new reviewers out there! **

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**Ok, so I wanted to get this chapter up because I'm going out of town, so I won't probably update again until the middle of next week! I know, that's a long time, I'm sorry! But I wanted to give you guys a heads up.**

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**HAPPY 4TH OF JULY! Have a safe and wonderful holiday!**

**Again, thank you all for your continued support! Happy reading…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or its characters…**

"Is this seat taken?" The voice asked.

Caroline's eyes shot open and she looked at the man whose voice was so incredibly familiar. "Nik?"

His famous smirk was in place. "Hello sweetheart."

"What are you doing here?"

Klaus took the seat next to Caroline so he was out of the way of the loading passengers. "I thought you wanted me to come."

"I did. I do," she corrected herself. "But you told me you weren't coming. What changed your mind?"

"More like who. Rebekah basically kicked me out when she found out that I told you I wasn't going with you," he smiled.

Caroline didn't return the sentiment. "I'm glad to know that what your sister says is more important to you than what I have to say." She crossed her arms over her chest.

"Caroline, you know that isn't true."

"It's not?" She raised her eyebrows. "Then how come when I asked you to come, I was selfish, but when she said that you needed to go, well here you are." She gestured to him.

Klaus looked around to see if they had drawn any attention from the passengers sitting around them. "Sweetheart, can we talk about this later? I don't think now is an appropriate time."

Caroline rolled her eyes. "Whatever," her arms were still crossed as she turned to look straight ahead. "If you thought that just because you showed up on this plane that I would forgive you, then you are terribly wrong."

Caroline heard Klaus sigh as he relaxed in the chair beside her, but the conversation ended there. She had no intention of being nice to him at the moment. She knew without a doubt that she still loved him, but she was hurt. She had to admit though that for the first time since their fight, she felt at peace, so she took advantage of it and took a much needed nap.

Caroline awoke to a gentle shake and someone calling her name. She began to stir, rubbing her eyes to help herself wake up. She still felt exhausted from her lack of sleep the night before.

"Caroline," Klaus said again. "It's time to wake up." Caroline turned towards him, and saw the smile spread across his face. "We are here."

She sat up with a start. "What? I slept the whole way?"

He pushed a stray curl behind her ear. "You obviously needed the rest."

"I guess so," she told him before standing up to join the rest of the passengers on the plane.

He stood as well, walking into the aisle so he could get their carry-ons from the overhead compartment. Caroline followed him out of the plane, down the jetway, and into the airport. She let him lead the way since he obviously knew what he was doing. He led her to baggage claim first.

"Is that your bag?" He asked when he recognized one of the suitcases on the conveyer belt.

"Yeah, I got it," Caroline told him as she made her way over to her luggage. She was about to reach down to grab it when a hand beat her to it. She looked up at Klaus. "I said I got it," she snapped.

"Caroline, please," his blue eyes pleaded with her.

Her hands dropped to her sides with a clap. She couldn't deny him anything when he gave her that look. "Fine."

He lifted the luggage off the belt, and stepped away as they waited for his to make its appearance. It was about five minutes later when his showed up, and he repeated his actions. He then led her outside to the pick-up lane. He flagged down a taxi, helped her load up her belongings, and then held the door open for her to enter, following close behind.

The car ride was quiet except for Klaus giving the taxi driver the address for the loft in Manhattan. Caroline knew that if she tried to have a conversation with him, one spark would cause her to blow up at him, so she thought it best to keep her mouth shut. As if Klaus could read her mind, he chose to stay quiet as well.

Caroline grabbed her carry-on and left him behind to carry the suitcases as she made her way to find their new loft. She stopped to stand in front of her new door. She took a deep breath before putting the key into the lock and turning it. She pushed the door open to reveal the inside of her new home and gasped. It was so big, and roomy, and perfect, and it was hers and Klaus'.

"How do you like it?" Klaus' voice came from behind her.

She turned to look at him. "It's amazing. I can't believe it's ours." She entered the room so he could bring the luggage inside.

"I'm glad you like it." He followed her inside. "When you choose your room, I will take your luggage in."

"I am perfectly capable of carrying my own suitcase, Nik. Besides, I did it when I went through the airport alone." She turned to him, arms crossed over her chest once again.

"Caroline, I am sorry for not going to the airport with you." He walked over to her so they stood toe to toe.

She laughed humorlessly. "Then by all means, everything is forgiven." She turned to walk away, but he grabbed her arm to stop her.

"What else do you want from me?" He looked her straight in the eyes.

"I shouldn't have to tell you," she pulled her arm away, picked up her bags, and went off in search of her new bedroom.

Klaus exhaled loudly, running his fingers through his hair. He wanted to yell or punch something, but he knew that this whole thing was his fault, so he chose to find his own room instead in order to give himself time to cool off.

Caroline had chosen the biggest bedroom of the two, figuring that she was the girl, so she needed the most room. She realized immediately that the room was too white. The walls were white, the carpet was white, even the furniture that it had been furnished with was white. _That is going to have to be changed,_ she thought to herself as she looked around the room. She began to unpack her suitcases, wanting to get her clothes out before they got too wrinkled. As she was putting the last few items on hangers, she heard a light knock at her door. She turned to see Klaus leaning against the doorframe.

"Are you getting hungry?" He asked.

She nodded. "What time is it?"

He looked at his watch. "It's nearly seven p.m."

Her eyebrows shot up. "Already?!"

"Yes, love." He entered the room and took a seat on her bed. "What sounds good to eat?"

She shrugged. "You choose," she said, her response short.

Klaus sighed for what felt like the fiftieth time that day. "Caroline," he began.

She didn't bother to meet his gaze. "Hmm?" She asked, focused on the hangers in her hands.

"Caroline," he said again, taking the hangers from her hands and laying them on the bed. He took her hands in his and pulled her close to him. "Look at me." He waited until her deep cerulean eyes met his. "Would you rather me go back to Mystic Falls?"

Her brow puckered. "No, Nik, of course not." She took a seat on his lap and he wrapped his arms around her waist. "I'm mad at you. That doesn't mean I don't love you or that I want to be hundreds of miles away from you."

"Well, then what do I have to do to make you happy with me again?" He smiled, using his dimples to their full potential to get his way.

Caroline almost gave in, but she stood strong. She smiled back. "I guess you'll figure something out." She stood from his lap when his smile disappeared and laughed. Then, she grabbed his hand and pulled him up. "Let's go eat. I'm starved."

They decided to eat at a little café that Klaus was familiar with before doing a little sightseeing. Klaus wanted to show Caroline Times Square at night. Caroline was mesmerized by all the lights. She was amazed by the amount of people walking around and the size of the billboards and screens that encircled them as they walked. This was nothing like Mystic Falls.

"We have to go to a play!" She told Klaus excitedly when she saw the Wicked and Phantom of the Opera billboards.

He looked down and smiled as she practically jumped with excitement beside him. "Of course, sweetheart."

His arm wrapped around her, holding her close to him so no one had any question if she was his. They continued to weave through the crowd. Klaus enjoyed watching her reactions as she took in her surroundings. After about an hour, Caroline started to yawn. Klaus decided that it would be best for them to go home. They were living in New York, after all. They could see it whenever they wanted.

"Let's go home, shall we?" He looked down at her.

She looked up to meet his gaze and smiled. She wrapped both arms around his torso as she smiled and said, "I like the sound of that."

His smile grew. He leaned down and captured her lips with his quickly. "Me too," he told her before hailing a cab.

When they entered their new home, Caroline headed straight for her room. She began sifting through her closet to find something to wear for her first day at her new job. Her nerves began to grow at the thought of starting over again.

"Not even going to say good night, love?" Klaus asked. "Are you that angry with me still?"

Caroline turned to him and smirked. "I wasn't going to go to bed just yet. I'm trying to pick out an outfit for tomorrow." She turned back to her closet. "And to answer your last question, I am still angry with you, but not that angry."

He joined her at her closet. He pulled out a navy wrap dress and held it up to her. "Wear this one."

She looked at the dress, and then at him. "Really?"

"Yes, you look lovely in blue," he winked at her. "But you look lovely in anything really."

She blushed as her smile grew from ear to ear. "You trying to charm me into forgiving you?"

He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her flush against him. "Is it working?" He rested his forehead against hers.

She stood on her tip toes and kissed him. "Nope," she giggled and pulled away. "I'm going to take a shower and then I'm going to go to bed. What are you going to do tomorrow?" She asked him as she pulled a pair of pajamas out of her dresser.

"I was thinking about going to the MET, seeing if I could get some inspiration. My art supplies should be here tomorrow or the next day. I had it shipped express since I knew you would be starting your job immediately."

She nodded. "Well, have fun." She smiled as she walked over to him to kiss him one more time. "I'll see you tomorrow, then. Good night."

"Good night, sweetheart."

The next morning, Caroline's sleep was rudely interrupted by her alarm clock. She groaned as she threw her arm over to hit the button and turn off the loud beeping sound. She stretched her arms over her head before crawling out of her warm cozy bed. She grabbed the dress that Klaus had picked out and put it on. After she finished curling her hair and putting on her makeup, she quietly snuck into the living room, trying not to wake Klaus.

"Good morning, Caroline." He was leaning against the counter in the kitchen when Caroline walked in.

She jumped, placing a hand over her heart. "Oh my goodness, Nik, you scared me! What are you doing up?"

"I'm sorry," he pushed off the counter. "I thought you'd like some coffee before you had to leave."

"Yes! I think I might need five cups to be honest."

He smiled and handed her a cup. "One tablespoon of sugar, right?" He asked.

"Perfect," she said as she took the mug from him and started downing the hot liquid.

She finished one full cup before it was time for her to leave. "Thank you so much," she told him as she grabbed her purse. "I will see you this evening. Think about what you want for supper." She kissed him goodbye.

"Have a wonderful first day, sweetheart."

She smiled over her shoulder at him before disappearing out the front door.

* * *

The first person Caroline met at her new job was her boss, Owen Peterson. He did the same as her old boss, giving her a tour of the new office and introducing her to a few people that were already clocked in. However, instead of being led to a cubicle, she was led to an office.

"This is your office," he gestured towards the room.

Caroline looked into the room in awe. It wasn't very big, but the view from the five foot windows was incredible. She could see the Empire State Building so clearly. It looked like a picture that should have been on a postcard. She slowly walked into the room, still in shock.

"This is mine?" She asked.

Her boss laughed. "I don't know why else your name would be on the desk."

Caroline's gaze immediately went to the mahogany desk sitting towards the back of the room. There was a row of storage cabinets, a design board that needed to be placed somewhere in the room, a nice black desk chair, and a large screened computer just waiting to be used. Then, Caroline saw what her boss had been talking about. There in the middle of the mahogany desk was a wooden nameplate. CAROLINE FORBES was in gold surrounded by a black shiny background.

"Oh my! I have my own nameplate!" She squealed before remembering that her boss was still in the room. Her face turned red as he laughed again.

"I'm glad that you are excited. We are happy to have you with us, Miss Forbes."

"Please, call me Caroline," she told him.

He nodded once. "Alright, Caroline. Well, I need to get back to work. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me or your secretary, Emma."

"_My_ secretary?" Caroline almost stuttered.

"Yes, she should be in soon." He then disappeared down the hallway as Caroline continued to take in her new office.

She took a picture of her nameplate with her cell phone and texted it to Klaus. She could only imagine him laughing at the thought of her being so excited over such a small thing.

**_Congratulations, sweetheart. I assume everything is going well?_** He replied moments later.

Caroline took a seat in her new chair and her inner child had to resist the urge to spin around in it. She turned on her computer and then returned her focus to the text message from Klaus.

_Wonderful! I have an office, Nik, AN OFFICE! Not a cubicle. And my view is amazing!_ She hit send.

A small brunette knocked on the door, taking Caroline's attention off of her phone. "Hi," Caroline smiled.

"Hi," the brunette replied. "My name is Emma Foster. I'll be your secretary."

"Oh!" Caroline stood up from her chair and walked around her desk. "It's so nice to meet you, Emma. I'm Caroline."

"It's nice to meet you, too," Emma smiled. "If you ever need anything, I'll just be right out there." She pointed to a small desk that was right outside of Caroline's office. Caroline noticed that she could see the small desk from her own desk through the wall made of windows.

"Okay, sounds good." Caroline smiled and nodded.

There was an awkward silence before Emma said her goodbyes and made her way over to her own space. Caroline released the breath she had been holding and took a seat in her chair again. She logged into her computer before checking her phone once more.

**_You deserve it all, Caroline._** Klaus' message said, and Caroline couldn't help but smile. She knew that if she had been face to face with him in that moment, she wouldn't have been able to resist kissing him.

_I better get to work even though I have no idea what to do. I'll see you tonight. Love you._ She hit reply before turning to her computer and pulling up her e-mail.

As she sat in her chair waiting to receive a call or an e-mail, she was mentally picturing how she wanted to decorate her office. She knew that she wanted pictures of her and Klaus for sure, and she would like to add some with Bonnie, Elena, and her mom. She walked over and picked up the design board. She moved it to the far corner of the room across from the doorway. Caroline figured she would display her work for everyone to immediately see when they entered her office.

She let out a laugh when the irony struck her of how different she and Klaus were. Here she was trying to show off her work to anyone who entered her office, and he wouldn't show anyone his work but her. She truly really wished he would try to get some of his work into a gallery soon. His paintings were way too good to be hidden away in a studio.

The phone ringing broke her out of her thoughts. She answered on the second ring.

"Manhattan Interiors, this is Caroline speaking, how may I help you?"

"Caroline, it's Emma."

Caroline looked up to see the brunette staring back. Emma gave a slight wave, to which Caroline sent back. "Hey, Emma. What's up?"

"I didn't know if Mr. Peterson told you about your lunch. You have one hour, and it starts at 12." She told Caroline.

Caroline looked at the clock on her wall. That was in fifteen minutes. _Wow, time flew today,_ Caroline thought to herself.

"Thanks! Would you like to go to lunch with me?" Caroline asked, not the type that liked eating alone anywhere.

Emma smiled. "Sure! It will give us time to get to know each other a little better."

At lunch, Caroline and Emma really hit it off, which Caroline was extremely relieved about. The last thing she needed was a secretary who hated her. Emma filled her in on the little things she had picked up from the office. She had actually started a week prior since that was originally when Caroline was supposed to start working. Caroline explained to her about Rebekah's accident, and a little about her life. In the end, the two girls felt like they could easily become friends.

The rest of the day was much like the first half. It passed extremely fast. Caroline had set up a couple of appointments, but they were just for simple decorations. Her boss checked on her at the end of the day, which pleased Caroline. It showed her that he really cared about his employees. At the end of the day, Caroline was happy and excited about her new job. She already felt a lot more accepted in this office than she did at the one back in Mystic Falls. She couldn't wait to get home and tell Klaus about her day.

* * *

When she arrived home a half hour later, almost all her anger towards Klaus had disappeared. She still wanted an apology, but she was so excited about her job that she just couldn't wait to talk to him. She unlocked the door and entered, trying to put her keys back in her purse.

"Nik?" She called out, still focused on her purse. There was no answer. "Nik?" She called again. She put her purse on the small table in the entryway and turned to look around the apartment for the first time since entering. She gasped.

Gerber daisies were everywhere- shades of pink, yellow, orange, and red. It looked like there were flowers in every open space of the loft. She leaned down to inhale the floral scent.

"I'm sorry for calling you selfish and for listening to my sister over you. I'm sorry for using her as an excuse to push you away. I'm sorry for not being there with you when you left for the airport. I'm sorry for making you think that I wasn't coming. I'm sorry for causing you any pain whatsoever. I'm sorry for everything." Klaus walked out of the hallway that led to the bedrooms, his hands behind his back as he approached Caroline. He was looking up at her through his lashes, but she could see the sincerity that was radiating off of him.

Caroline stood motionless as he advanced toward her, her mouth open at the pure shock of what she was hearing. She knew that he was sorry for everything, but she never dreamed he would actually apologize to her for it all, especially since she yelled back at him. She closed the gap between them quickly, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I'm sorry too. For yelling at you and for walking out on you." She whispered into his ear.

He wrapped his arms around her. "So, I'm forgiven then?"

Caroline laughed and pulled her head away from his shoulder so she could see his face. "Correct." She kissed him fervently, willing him to feel just how much she really loved him.

"Do you like the flowers?" He asked when there was distance between the two.

"I love them," she smiled. "But can I ask, why Gerber daisies?"

He cradled her face between his palms. "Gerber daisies are bright. They are unique, special, each one their own shade of vibrancy. They light up a room with their presence. Basically, they remind me of you, much more than a typical red rose."

She couldn't help but capture his lips with hers again, her arms winding around his neck to pull him closer. His lips trailed kisses down her jawline, onto her neck, before making their way back to her mouth. She could have kissed him for hours had it not been for her growling stomach.

He laughed as he placed another kiss to her lips before pulling away. "What would you like to go eat, sweetheart?" He asked.

"Can we just order in tonight? I'd much rather spend our night alone instead of in a crowded place somewhere."

"I know of a great Chinese food restaurant that delivers, if you'd like to eat that." Klaus said.

"Sounds wonderful," Caroline smiled.

Klaus placed the order before joining Caroline on the couch, where they stayed most of the night, even when the food came.

Caroline filled him in on the details of her work day, expressing how surprised she was at everything she had been given. It was obvious that she still couldn't believe she had her own secretary, and he laughed out of happiness for her at the excitement in her tone. She told him all about Emma, and how she thought that they could become good friends. When she had finished telling Klaus every minute detail, she asked him about his day at the MET. He told her about some of his favorite pieces, promising to take her to see them one day. He told her that his art supplies had arrived, and she was happy to know that he would have something that he liked to do to fill his time while she was at work.

After they finished telling each other about their day, they turned on Funny Faces. Caroline fell asleep within the first hour of the movie. Klaus finished the film before picking Caroline up in his arms and carrying her into her room. He smiled at the memory of doing the same thing at her mom's house months ago, and now here they were in _their_ home. He kissed her forehead, like he had done back then, and whispered goodnight before leaving for his own room.

**If you are wanting to google what type of flower a Gerber daisy is out of curiosity, google actually has it listed as a Gerbera daisy, but we don't pronounce it like that here haha. Where I live, it's a Gerber daisy, so that's what I stuck with. Just a little FYI just in case you were curious! :) thanks again for reading!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Hello lovely readers! I'm sorry for the long wait, but I'm back home now! Thank you to everyone who is continuing to follow, favorite, review, and read this story! I have over 130 followers! That's amazing!**

**Thank you to my friend for continuing to help me by reading and proofing these chapters before I post them!**

**This fic will be coming to an end soon, but I feel like it's gone very well for my first fic! So thank you all for that!**

**Now on to the chapter: Happy reading…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or its characters… **

A few weeks had passed. Caroline and Klaus were getting settled into their new home, and Caroline loved her job. She and Emma were getting closer, which was helping Caroline get over the fact that Bonnie and Elena were so far away. Caroline tried to call Bonnie and Elena at least once a week to keep in touch, but it was hard to divide her time between work, Klaus, and her two best friends. Work took most of her time anyway, and what wasn't taken up by work, she tried to devote to Klaus.

Caroline's boss started giving her bigger jobs that belonged to some of their regular clients, and so far, Caroline was pleasing everyone she worked for. She seemed to bring a fresh view to their homes, which the client's appreciated. The clients couldn't praise her work enough to Owen, her boss, which only drove Caroline to work harder. She wanted to be the best she could be, and she was well on her way.

"Emma? What are you still doing here?" Caroline asked as she exited her office on Friday evening.

The brunette looked up from her computer. "Just finishing up some last minute details before heading out."

"Anything I can help you with?" Caroline smiled, willing to help her friend out.

"No, that's okay," Emma smiled back. "I'm almost done. Go on home. You've had a busy week."

Caroline nodded. "Okay. I'll see you Monday, then. Bye!" She called as she made her way out the door.

* * *

Caroline entered the loft and the smell of paint nearly overwhelmed her. Her brow puckered as she tried to figure out where it was coming from. Klaus' paint never smelled that strong.

"Nik?" She called as she placed her purse and keys on the table in the entryway.

"I'm in the living room, sweetheart," Klaus called back.

She followed in the direction his voice came from, and her eyes widened when she took in the sight. "What are you doing?"

"I'm just painting. I didn't think you'd mind because you always say it's too white in here." He laid down the paint roller in the pan and turned to look at the blonde.

Caroline looked around the room. There was plastic covering the carpet and painter's tape around the windows and doorways. "I just didn't realize that you were planning on repainting it."

"I can paint it white again if you'd like."

Caroline's gaze finally locked with his. "No, no, of course not. I'm just surprised."

"Do you like the color?" He asked.

Caroline looked at the part of the wall that he already had painted. It was a deep burgundy color, but there were large windows in the room, so the color didn't darken the room too much.

"I thought we could buy some cream furniture, and if we add light curtains, that will brighten the room even more." Klaus told her.

Caroline smiled. "Well aren't you quite the decorator."

His smirk appeared in response. "I figured you would be tired of decorating after being at work all day, so I decided to take the reins. I hope that's alright."

Caroline walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist before looking up at his face. "It's more than alright. And I love the color."

His hands made their way to her face. He tucked some of her curls behind her ear. "I'm glad you like it."

"Enough talking," Her smile grew. "I haven't gotten my welcome home kiss yet."

Klaus' dimples surfaced as his smile grew to match hers. "Please forgive me, love," he said before leaning down and catching her lips with his. He pulled away, but kept his arms around her. "How was your day?"

"It was good, but I'm tired. I'm glad it's the weekend."

He kissed her forehead before stepping away and going back to the paint pan. "Well, you can have a seat while I finish painting."

She pulled her jacket off. "No way, I'm going to help you."

He had already started painting again, but he looked over his shoulder so he could see her. "You're tired, sweetheart. I can do it. I don't mind."

She walked over to his side, stretched to her tip toes, and placed a kiss on his cheek. "I know you don't, but I want to help you. Just let me go change."

Caroline hurried off to her room to find an old pair of pants and a t-shirt that didn't matter if it got paint on it. When she walked back into the living room, she turned to Klaus. "Do we have any more paint rollers?"

"Check in that bag on the dining room table," he told her.

After she found the other roller, she made her way back into the living room and turned on the stereo.

"Don't you think that's a little loud? Our neighbors might not appreciate it." Klaus smirked.

"I guess they'll just have to deal with it," she winked.

She poured some paint in a pan and chose a wall that Klaus wasn't working on. As she painted, she hummed along to the song that was playing. Every once in a while, she would turn to look at Klaus and admire the way his arm muscles flexed as he painted. She thought she was being sneaky, but it wasn't long before she found out that she wasn't.

"Do you like the view, sweetheart?" He asked.

Her head shot towards him since he had waited until she turned around before saying anything. She saw his signature smirk in place, and her face flushed. She turned back to the wall she was painting.

"Of course," she replied as confidently as possible.

Klaus didn't expect her to reply, and he smiled to himself when he heard her answer. "I'm glad to hear that, but I must say, mine is much better."

Caroline looked down as her face grew even redder. She felt a pair of arms wrap around her from behind.

"I mean it," he whispered into her ear.

She leaned into him, but was still too embarrassed to turn around, knowing that her blush was still obvious. Before she had time to think it through, she dipped her finger into the paint pan. She tried to get control of her emotions before turning around and quickly swiping the paint down his nose.

Klaus' eyes were wide in shock, not expecting her to turn so quickly, and definitely not expecting her to wipe paint on his face. However, her giggling broke him out of his trance. She was almost doubled over with laughter.

"Oh, you think that's funny, huh?" He asked with a smirk.

She nodded. "Yes, I do," she answered between laughs.

He grabbed her in his arms so she couldn't escape. She was trying to get away, but between his strength and her laughter, she failed. He rubbed his nose back and forth on her cheek, transferring some of the paint onto her. Her giggles became louder as his laughter joined in. She finally wiggled out of his arms, and she made her way over to the paint roller.

Klaus began to shake his head. "Don't even think about it," he told her as she started coming towards him.

"Why not?" She smiled.

Before he could reply, Caroline sprang towards him with the roller out in front of her. He saw her coming and jumped out of the way, but she caught his arm. She laughed again as he tried to figure out the perfect move to make to catch her. Unfortunately for her, he was faster, and he grabbed her in his arms again. He grabbed her arm that was holding the roller and began to roll it on her shirt and free arm.

"Nik, stop," she laughed. "That's not fair. You're stronger than I am," she told him, but he could hear the joy in her laughter, so he knew she wasn't mad.

"You started it, sweetheart." He was also laughing, but he stopped making her rub the paint on herself. He held her arm out waiting for her to drop the roller. When she did, he spun her around so she was facing him.

She started laughing again when she saw the smeared paint on his face. "I'm sorry."

He grabbed her face in his hands again before kissing her passionately. Caroline's breath was taken away from her laughter and from the desire behind the kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him closer, and she heard him groan. She started laughing all over again when she realized that she had just smeared paint all over the back of his neck.

"I'm sorry," she repeated.

He smiled. He wrapped his arms around her waist, transporting the paint on his own arm onto her clothes. He pulled her close again before placing his lips on hers, continuing the kiss from before. This time, when her arms went around his neck, he didn't react to the paint. He just pulled her closer to him as their lips moved in perfect harmony, so familiar yet so exciting. When they had to part to catch their breath, Caroline rested her forehead against his.

"I Can't Stop Loving You" by Ray Charles came on the stereo. Klaus gently wrapped his arm around Caroline's waist, and he took her hand in his free hand as he started moving them both to the music.

Caroline looked up. "You're just full of surprises today aren't you?" She smiled.

"You deserve to be happily surprised every day, love." He kissed her sweetly on the forehead. "I'm sorry I don't do it more."

She removed her hand from his and wrapped her arm around his waist so that her arms encircled him. His did the same to her.

"I _am_ surprised every day. Each day I don't think I can love you any more than I already do, and every day I'm surprised when I realize that my love has grown."

Klaus never stopped swaying them to the music as he leaned down and kissed her. "How did I get so lucky?" He smiled.

"I'm the lucky one, Nik." She laid her head on his chest, cutting off the conversation. She just wanted to listen to the song and enjoy the moment.

Klaus' arms tightened around her as they continued to sway to the music.

When the song ended, Caroline pulled herself away reluctantly. She knew they needed to get the painting done before the paint dried up. They made small talk as they continued to paint. They decided that they needed to repaint the bedrooms and the kitchen as well, but they would work on it slowly. Caroline told Klaus a little about the work she was doing with her current clients, and he decided to share some news of his own.

"So I've been talking to a few galleries while you've been at work," he told her, not taking his eyes away from the wall he was painting.

Caroline turned towards him with wide eyes. "What? Seriously? Why haven't you said anything?"

"You've had a lot on your plate at work. And I haven't decided if I want to do it or not." His focus was still on the wall.

"Nik, I never have too much on my plate when it comes to you. I want to know these things." He turned around to face her, so she continued. "I think you should try to get into one of the galleries."

"I have meetings set up for them to see my work. I just have to confirm them." He turned back to his painting.

"I'll go with you to the gallery or be here with you when they come, whichever. But I really think you should give it a try. What's holding you back?"

"I would rather not talk about it," he replied.

"Nik," Caroline sighed. "When are you going to stop shutting me out?"

Klaus put the paint roller down. "I'm not trying to shut you out, Caroline. I just don't want to talk about it."

"Whatever, Nik." Caroline rolled her eyes before turning around and starting to paint again.

Klaus exhaled loudly. "Failure."

"What?" Caroline turned back towards him.

"Failure is holding me back. I was told I wasn't good for anything for years. It's hard to forget something like that." Klaus wouldn't meet her gaze. Instead, he kept his eyes on the floor.

"Your dad?" Caroline whispered, but she didn't need him to answer her. She knew that's who it was. "Nik, don't believe that! He was so wrong. I mean look at us. He told you that no one could ever love you, right? Well here I am." She walked over to him and took his hands in hers. "Every negative thing he ever told you, please, forget it. You are a wonderful man, and you are capable of becoming one of the best artists out there. Don't let his terrible words get you down, ever."

"I'll try, sweetheart, but I can't make any promises," he told her honestly.

"That's all I ask," she gave him a small smile before giving his hands a gentle squeeze and dropping them.

It took them a couple of hours to finish painting the room. Caroline cooked a quick meal for supper before the two called it a night and went to bed. They were both exhausted from their day's events.

* * *

Klaus walked into Caroline's room the next morning to see that she was still curled up in her bed sound asleep. He walked over to the side of her bed and took a seat.

"Caroline," he lightly shook her arm. When she didn't stir, he called her name again while repeating the same action. "Caroline."

Caroline started to groan as she began rubbing her eyes. "What is it?" She asked sleepily.

"Wake up, sweetheart."

"What time is it?" She whined.

"It's already ten," Klaus laughed at her resistance.

She barely opened her eyes to look at him. "Why do I have to get up?"

Klaus held up a box he had in his hands so she could see it.

Caroline sat straight up. "What's that?"

Klaus laughed at her again. "It's for you." He handed it over so it was sitting on her lap. She looked up at him to get the go ahead. "Open it."

She untied the blue ribbon that was tied around the package, and then lifted the top off. She unfolded the tissue paper to reveal a navy blue strapless dress. It had a heart shaped neckline with a fitted bodice and a flowing skirt. She lifted it out of the box with raised eyebrows.

"It's beautiful," she told him. "But what is this for?"

"It's for tonight," he stated, like she should know what was going on later that day.

Her brow furrowed. "Okay, where will I be wearing it to?"

"To dinner and to see Wicked," he smiled, waiting for her reaction.

She dropped the dress back into the box right before jumping up on her knees and practically tackling Klaus. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! I can't wait." She said before capturing his lips with hers. Then, she climbed off the bed quickly. "I have to start getting ready. What time are we leaving?"

Klaus hadn't stopped laughing since she tackled him. "We need to leave by three. Is that alright?"

"More than alright!" She was practically jumping up and down. Then, she looked at the clock and deflated. "I guess it's too early to start getting ready now." She sat back down on the bed. "Now what am I going to do to pass the time?"

"Oh, sweetheart, I'm sure you'll figure out something." He smirked. "I'm going to do some painting for now."

"You woke me up and now you're going to go paint?" Caroline crossed her arms and pretended to pout.

"You could always join me," he ran his finger over her protruding bottom lip.

Caroline's phone started ringing. She grabbed it off of the bedside table and looked at the screen. REBEKAH flashed across it.

"Of course it's someone from your family calling this early. Are you all morning people?!" Caroline asked, faking frustration.

Klaus just laughed as he left the room to go to his studio. Caroline answered the phone to see what the younger Mikaelson wanted.

"Hello, Rebekah."

"Hey, Caroline. How is New York?"

"It's wonderful. Your brother is taking me to see Wicked tonight!" Caroline became excited all over again.

"That's great. You'll love it." Rebekah was smiling at the other blonde's excitement.

"How are you feeling? Are you still on bed rest?"

Rebekah groaned. "I'm feeling a lot better, but Elijah won't let me leave this bed hardly ever," she yelled the latter part as if Elijah could hear her.

Caroline laughed. "He just wants what's best for you."

"Well, he needs to find something better to do," Rebekah griped. "Anyway, that's not the reason I was calling. I was actually calling about Christmas."

"What about Christmas? That's still like a month away."

"Where are we spending Christmas? We have to start planning, Caroline. The Mikaelsons are going to have a good Christmas this year. Elijah is here, and you've made my brother happier than I've ever seen him. We need to celebrate." Rebekah explained.

Caroline smiled to herself. "It would be easier for Nik and me to come there."

"Alright, then it's settled. Thank you for your time."

"Rebekah, you don't have to thank me for my time. You're practically my family." Caroline replied. "But let me know if you need any help."

"I got it covered. It's not like I have anything better to do while lying in this bed," Rebekah complained.

Caroline laughed at her again. "Okay, well, let me know if you change your mind."

"I will. Bye, Caroline. Keep my brother in line."

"Will do," Caroline said before hanging up the phone.

She walked into Klaus' studio to see him concentrating on a canvas. Instead of interrupting, she took a seat on the couch and just watched him paint. However, it wasn't five minutes and he was the one who started talking.

"What did my dear sister want?" He asked.

"Believe it or not, she is already planning Christmas. I think she's just really bored being stuck in that bed." Caroline tucked her legs underneath her.

"Christmas? Since when is my sister excited about Christmas?" Klaus turned to look at the bubbly blonde.

"She's just happy that most of the family will be together. I told her that you and I would go to them for Christmas. I hope that's okay."

Klaus shrugged. "That's fine with me." He returned to his painting.

Caroline let the conversation end there, content in watching him work. She stayed in that spot until it was time for her to get ready. When it was time, her excitement began to grow again.

She got in the shower and washed her hair. As she was standing in front of the mirror in her bathrobe after blow drying her hair, she began to curl it. Then, she decided to give herself a dark smoky eye and neutral lip. She looked at herself in the mirror for a minute before deciding that she was satisfied.

She walked into her bedroom and admired the dress one more time before stepping into it. It fit perfectly, stopping right above her knee. As she was looking in the mirror, she heard a light knock on the door. She looked over her shoulder and smiled.

"Just in time," she said to Klaus. "I need you to lace me up." The fitted bodice required a corset type of lacing.

Klaus stepped into the room in his dark gray button up and black slacks. He walked up behind her to do as she requested.

"You look nice," she smiled into the mirror, able to see his reflection behind her.

He looked up to meet her eyes. "And you look exquisite." He finished lacing her dress up. "But I do have one more surprise for you."

"Another one? Nik, you are giving me too much."

"That's not possible, sweetheart," he told her as he brought a silver necklace dripping in diamonds around her neck.

Caroline gasped as she brought her hand up to touch the stones. "Nik, it's gorgeous."

"I'm glad you like it." He placed a light kiss on her neck.

"I love it," she told him. She spun around and kissed him.

"Are you ready to go?"

She nodded as she made her way over and picked out a pair of black pumps, black clutch, and a black leather jacket. "Yes!"

Klaus took her to an Italian restaurant in the Theatre District in Manhattan called Barbetta. Caroline's mouth almost dropped open as she took in her surroundings: all of the antiques, candelabras, and the chandelier. After they finished eating, Klaus led her to the back of the restaurant to see the garden complete with a fountain.

"I'm not used to this lifestyle," Caroline told Klaus.

"What do you mean?" Klaus' brow furrowed.

"I live in a loft in Manhattan, I'm wearing things that probably cost more than my car, I'm eating at a restaurant with a chandelier and a fountain, and I'm going to a musical. That's just not something I'm used to."

"Well, then I guess you better get used to it because I want to give you the world," he said seriously.

She couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face. "Then, I guess you're right. I'll have to get used to it because I'm not giving you up."

He kissed her quickly. "That's good to know." He wrapped an arm around her waist. "We need to head to the theatre," he told her, and then led her out of the restaurant.

They arrived at the theater in plenty of time. Klaus led Caroline to their seats. He had purchased tickets on the first row in the front mezzanine section. Caroline was amazed from the moment they stepped through the doors. Klaus enjoyed taking in her expression throughout the night, which was arguably his favorite part, and Caroline soaked in every minute of her experience. It was definitely one of the best days of Caroline's life, and it was something that she could cross off of her bucket list. And it was all because of Niklaus Mikaelson.


	20. Chapter 20

**First off, I want to say sorry! I know I'm super super late! I have company in from a different country and I've been traveling again, but anyway this chapter was harder for me to write. I think I did it in like 4 pieces! But this chapter is quite a bit longer than the others, so hopefully it makes up a little bit for my absence! :)**

**Now….. Thank you to everyone who is continuing to read, support, review, follow, and favorite this story! You are all amazing!**

**To my friend who has read a lot of these for me before I post them, thank you!**

**Lynnevampire- Caroline doesn't want to move to the next level before marriage! I don't know the exact chapter that's all explained, but I believe it's one of the one's right before New York… It's just basically a personal choice for her. Hope that clears it up :)**

**Let's get to the chapter, shall we? Happy reading…**

Caroline was running around the house trying to finish up her last minute packing and waiting on Klaus to get back home from the art gallery. He had decided to work with Midtown Art Gallery that was located in Times Square, but it took quite a bit of convincing on Caroline's behalf.

_Flashback- Day of the meetings with the art galleries_

Klaus had set up a couple of different meetings with some of the local art galleries around the city, but he was still hesitant. Caroline could hear his frustration coming from his studio as he tried to figure out which paintings he was going to try to showcase. She walked into the room and casually leaned against the doorframe. Klaus was standing in the middle of the room looking around as if he were lost. He kept sighing and running his hands through his hair as she stood and watched.

"Is everything alright?" Caroline asked.

Klaus spun on his heels towards the blonde. "No, Caroline, everything is not alright," he snapped.

Instead of letting it bother her, Caroline just continued on. "What's wrong?"

"None of these paintings are good enough," he gestured towards the plethora of pieces. "This was a bad idea. I just need to call them and cancel the meetings."

"Nik," Caroline advanced towards him and placed her hands on his arms comfortingly. "Every one of these paintings is wonderful."

He shook his head. "You're just saying that to make me feel better. Please don't lie to me, Caroline. I don't want to make a fool of myself."

She smiled. "I wouldn't lie to you. I may not be an expert when it comes to art, but I know great work when I see it. You are extremely talented, Nik, and every one of these paintings deserves to be placed in a gallery."

"I think you're a bit biased," he smirked.

Caroline's smile grew as she looked up into his handsome face. "Probably, but I'm right." He leaned down and gave her a quick peck on the lips. "Alright, now let's pick out your main pieces shall we?" Caroline threw a smile at him over her shoulder as she made her way over to his work.

They had both agreed on showing the art galleries one landscape, the horse painting that he had told Caroline she could have, and one that Caroline had never seen before. The painting was of her glancing back over her shoulder with a shy smile as she walked through a field of flowers in a white dress. The painting looked so ethereal that it almost didn't look like her, but she definitely knew it was. She almost looked as if a light was beaming out of her. When she saw the picture, she gasped.

"Do you like it?" Klaus asked as he walked up behind her.

She turned so she could see him with the painting still in her hands. "When did you do this?"

He shrugged. "I've been working on it since we moved in."

"Nik, it's amazing. I think this should be your last piece."

He nodded and smiled as he took the artwork from her hands and placed it on a stand.

Caroline had stayed with him during both of the meetings, and she was so proud of him for actually letting someone new see his work. In the end, he chose to go with Midtown Art Gallery, who expressed how eager they were to work with him.

_Back to present_

"Caroline, I'm home," Klaus called as he entered the loft.

Caroline didn't leave her room to greet him. "I'm almost done packing. Are you finished?" She yelled.

Klaus knew about having to work, so he had packed the night before. "Yes, love." He replied, making his way into Caroline's room.

Their plane was leaving in about three hours to go back to Mystic Falls for Christmas. They had to stay in New York until the 23rd because of work, so they were really cutting it close, which didn't make Rebekah very happy.

Caroline looked up to see him standing in her doorway. "I just have a couple more things to pack and then I'll be ready to go."

Klaus looked at the large suitcase open on her bed along with two smaller bags. "We are only going for a few days, sweetheart. You don't have to pack the whole apartment," he was trying to hide the smirk that was growing on his face.

Caroline glared at him and faked a laugh. "You're so funny." She threw a couple of pairs of pants into her bag. "You never know what you might need, so I bring every possibility."

He just shook his head and took a seat on her bed.

"How was your day at the gallery?" Caroline asked as she continued to maneuver around her room.

"They were just letting me know that they had a few potential buyers."

Klaus had chosen to keep the paintings of Caroline and the horses for their loft. He couldn't part with the painting that he told Caroline she could have, and he didn't want a portrait of Caroline in anyone else's home.

Caroline hugged him unexpectedly. "That's great, Nik!"

He couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm. "Thanks, sweetheart, but if it weren't for you all of this wouldn't be happening."

She smiled back. "I'm glad I could help." She threw one more item of clothing into the big suitcase and zipped it up. "Done! We better hurry before we miss our plane and your sister gets even angrier," she told him, half jokingly.

He laughed, and then grabbed her bags off of her bed and carried them into the living room beside his. It was time for them to head back to Mystic Falls.

* * *

Elijah was waiting at the airport when Caroline and Klaus arrived. Caroline had hoped that her mom would be there to welcome her back, but she wasn't surprised by her absence. Klaus immediately recognized the disappointed expression that overcame Caroline's face.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" He asked as he took her hand in his.

Caroline shrugged. "I just thought my mom might come."

"I'm sure she had a good reason not to be here," he said, trying to make her feel better.

Caroline rolled her eyes but smiled at his attempt. "Sure, if you call work a good reason."

As they approached Elijah, all three had smiles on their faces, but neither brother moved to welcome the other. Caroline, being her friendly, spunky self, automatically wrapped Elijah in an embrace much to his surprise.

"Hi, Elijah. I've missed you guys!" Caroline told him.

Elijah smiled in response before adding, "We've missed you too, Miss Caroline."

"Quit being so proper," Caroline teased. "My name is just Caroline."

"Alright," Elijah replied, standing with his hands behind his back. "Welcome back little brother," he added.

"Thank you, Elijah. How are Rebekah and Kol?" Klaus asked as the three made their way to the baggage claim.

"Rebekah is running around the house trying to make sure everything is perfect for what she is predicting to be the best Christmas of our existence. As for Kol, he's busy flirting with every girl that's come home from college on winter break."

Klaus and Caroline found the information about Kol amusing, but believed every bit of it.

"Oh, and Caroline, your mother called this morning." Elijah turned to the blonde.

Caroline's eyes widened at the news. "She did? What did she want?" _And why would she call you and not me?_ She thought to herself.

"She wanted to know if it would be alright to stop by the mansion this evening. I told her that would be fine. I hope you don't mind." Elijah's brow puckered.

A smile began to spread on Caroline's face. "That's perfectly fine. Thank you, Elijah."

Before the conversation could continue, Klaus saw their luggage start to make its way towards them on the conveyor belt. He and Elijah took the suitcases so Caroline wouldn't have to carry anything. She smiled to herself as she admired the two gentlemen in front of her: the man she loved unconditionally and a brother that she never had. She almost laughed from pure joy when she realized that now she basically had three brothers AND a sister. She continued to follow them out to Elijah's vehicle as the two brothers became lost in a conversation of their own.

* * *

When they entered the mansion, Caroline realized how much she had missed Mystic Falls. Even though she hadn't spent too much time at the mansion, it still felt like home to her. The realization hit her even harder when she saw Rebekah making her way towards them.

"Nik! Caroline! I'm so glad you're here. I've missed you both so much," Rebekah was practically jumping with excitement.

Rebekah hugged Klaus first, and then moved on to Caroline. Caroline squeezed the blonde. "I've missed you too! Talking on the phone just isn't the same as seeing you in person."

Rebekah was smiling as the two pulled away from each other. "I know. We have so much to catch up on," she replied. "But first, I'll let you two get settled in. I know you must be tired."

Kol came through the door not long after his older siblings had arrived. He had to get in a few jokes right off, which normally would have annoyed both Klaus and Caroline, but today it didn't. They were just so glad to be back with Klaus' siblings. But it wasn't long before the couple excused themselves to go unpack their clothes.

As Klaus was hanging up some of his clothes in his old bedroom, Caroline sauntered in and sat on his bed.

"Already finished, love?" Klaus asked, surprised.

Caroline nodded. "Yeah, pretty much." She had a troubled look on her face, and she should have known that there was no way to hide her thoughts from him.

"What's wrong?"

She sighed. "Don't you miss it here?" She held out her arms as a gesture.

He finished hanging up the clothes he had in his hand before taking a seat beside her. "Yes, all the time. I miss my siblings and my home, but you are my family now too, and I will follow you wherever you go."

Caroline looked as if she was about to cry. "Great, so now it's my fault that you're away from your family and you're home. I took you away. I'm a terrible person."

Klaus pulled Caroline against him, and she laid her head on his chest. "Nothing is your fault, sweetheart. I left because I wanted to. I want to be with you. Wherever you are, that's my home now. And you are the complete opposite of a terrible person."

"I miss it, Nik. I mean don't get me wrong, I love New York, but that's not home." A tear slid down Caroline's cheek.

Klaus gripped Caroline's face gently between his hands as he tilted her head so she had to look at him. "Do you want to come back?"

She shook her head as much as she could. "I love my job in New York. You are doing well in the gallery. I don't want to lose all of that."

"We don't need the money. I can paint anywhere, and I'm sure you could come back to the office in Mystic Falls," he wiped away her tears with his thumbs.

Caroline smiled and shook her head again. "If I didn't have you in New York, I would come back to Mystic Falls in a heartbeat. But we are on the same page; you are where my home is too. I just want you to promise me one thing."

"What is it, love?" His blue eyes were staring straight into hers as he waited for her request.

"One day we will come back," she said, simply.

His dimples appeared as his smile grew. "Of course. You just tell me when and we will come back right away."

She leaned in and kissed him slowly and passionately. He began trailing kisses down her neck as she wrapped her arms around him, pulling herself closer to his body. She was so lost in the moment that she didn't hear the sound of someone clearing their throat and knocking lightly at the door. However, Klaus did, and he reluctantly pulled away.

Caroline whined, sticking her bottom lip out in a pout. Klaus chuckled before quickly kissing her one more time.

"Yes, Elijah?" Klaus looked around Caroline.

Caroline, shocked at anyone being at the door, turned quickly to see the older Mikaelson looking uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but Sheriff Forbes is waiting downstairs," he told the couple before disappearing.

"I don't miss being interrupted all the time," Klaus told Caroline when the two were alone again.

Caroline laughed. "Well, at least one of us heard him," she couldn't hide the blush that was covering her cheeks.

"And at least I know you're not bored with me yet." His smirk conveyed his confidence.

"I could never be bored with you, Niklaus Mikaelson," she smiled. "But, I better go downstairs. I've kept my mom waiting too long already." She stood up and began walking to the door, but she stopped in her tracks and turned to the man still sitting on the bed. "Nik?"

"Yes?" His smirk was still in place, but it had grown into more of a genuine smile.

"Can I invite my mom to dinner tomorrow night? She probably won't be able to come on Christmas day. She usually has to work." She was biting her bottom lip as she waited for his answer.

"You don't have to ask, sweetheart. This is your home too," he replied.

Caroline's face broke into a smile. "Thank you," she told him before making her way down the stairs to see her mom.

"Mom!" Caroline's smile grew from ear to ear as she held her arms out towards her mother.

Her mom met her halfway, ready to envelope her daughter in her own arms. "Caroline, how are you honey? It's so good to see you!"

"I'm great! How are you?" Caroline couldn't wipe the smile off of her face.

"I'm good," her mom's smile was still in place as well. "I've just been really busy, busier than usual." She followed Caroline to a couch in the living room. "How are things with Klaus?"

"Couldn't be any better! I love him so much, mom, and he loves me. I'm so happy."

Their conversation continued as Caroline's mom asked her about her new job and New York. Caroline told her about Klaus joining the gallery and the places he had taken her. Overall, they spent a couple of hours catching up with each other before Caroline asked her mom to join her and the Mikaelson family for Christmas Eve dinner, to which she gladly accepted. Not long after Sheriff Forbes accepted the invitation, Klaus entered the room.

"Hello, Ms. Forbes," Klaus was standing in the entry way with his hands behind his back. He threw a wink in Caroline's direction.

"Hello, Klaus. Please, call me Liz." Sheriff Forbes smiled.

Klaus nodded once. "Alright, well did you two have a nice chat?"

"Yes, we did!" Caroline happily replied. "We had a lot to catch up on."

"Good," he entered the room, taking a seat in one of the chairs. "Caroline, would it be alright if I talked to your mother alone, please?"

Caroline's brow furrowed as she looked at the man she loved. "Why do you need to talk to my mom?"

He smirked. "Please, love, just for a moment."

Caroline still wasn't pleased with the response. She looked at her mom, who shrugged. "Fine, I guess so." She stood up and left the room, fighting the temptation to eavesdrop.

Caroline entered the kitchen, knowing that Rebekah would be there. She saw the blonde standing at the counter with a mixing bowl in front of her and batter in her hair. Caroline couldn't help but chuckle at the sight.

"Having difficulties?" She asked the younger blonde.

Rebekah looked up at her and rolled her eyes. "This is the third time that I've tried to make this cake."

Caroline glanced around the room trying to find the other cakes. "What happened to the other two?"

"I threw them away. They were terrible." She sighed and threw the spoon into the mixture. "I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I'm not a baker!"

Caroline had to laugh again. "Let me see if I can help." She walked over to the counter and looked at its contents. "Do you have a mechanical mixer?" She noticed that the batter was really chunky and not very well mixed.

Rebekah opened drawer after drawer until she found one and handed it to Caroline. "Good luck," she told her before taking a seat on one of the bar stools in the kitchen.

Caroline began mixing the batter before she just couldn't stand it anymore. "Do you know what Nik is talking to my mom about?"

Rebekah tried to keep all expressions from her face, but it didn't completely work. She shrugged casually. "I don't know. I'm sure it's nothing."

Caroline shot the other blonde a glare. "Rebekah? What aren't you telling me?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Rebekah looked at her watch. "Oh my goodness, I'm going to be late. I have to meet Hayley at The Grill. I'll see you later, Caroline." She jumped off the barstool. "And the baking instructions are on the counter." She made her way out of the kitchen.

"Rebekah?" Caroline tried to stop her, but she wouldn't respond. "Rebekah!" Caroline sighed, but turned back to the cake.

She finished mixing the contents until it was smooth, and then poured it into a pan before popping it into the oven. She was just closing the door when her mother and Klaus entered the room.

"I need to get to work, Care." Sheriff Forbes told her.

Caroline spun around, not realizing that they had entered the room. "Oh, okay. I guess I'll see you tomorrow then?"

Sheriff Forbes hugged her daughter. "Yes, of course. Bye, honey." She turned towards the man standing behind her. "Bye, Klaus," she told him before leaving the house.

"So, my sister has you doing her cooking now, does she?" Klaus smirked.

Caroline had turned her back to him, busying herself with cleaning the counter. "She just needed help with this cake," she answered sharply.

Klaus sighed loudly. "Caroline, I just wanted to talk to your mom alone. It's not that big of a deal. Don't be angry with me."

"I'm not angry," she was scrubbing the counter with a wet sponge. "I just don't understand why you couldn't talk to her with me in the room. I mean, what could you need to talk to my mom about anyway? You don't even really know my mom."

Klaus walked up beside her, laying his hand on top of hers to stop the scrubbing. "If you aren't mad at me, why are you cleaning the same spot over and over?"

Caroline looked down, realizing that he was right. That spot wasn't going to get any cleaner. She threw the sponge down on the counter. "Whatever, that doesn't answer my question." She crossed her arms over her chest.

Klaus looked up at her through his eyelashes with his signature smirk in place. "Sweetheart, it's like you said, I don't really know your mother. Shouldn't I try to change that?"

She rolled her eyes. "You can be so infuriating."

"Which is one of the reasons you love me, right?" He smiled, using the full power of his dimples to pull her in.

She glared at him and looked away, knowing that she would give in if she didn't. It wasn't long before she felt his arms wrap around her though, and she felt her smile start to crawl across her face. She officially gave in when she felt his mouth start to trail up her jawline and onto her ear. "Okay, okay. Yes, it is one of the reasons," she smiled.

Klaus took the chair that his sister had vacated. "Where did Rebekah run off to?"

Caroline checked the cake in the oven. "She said she had to meet Hayley, but I think she was just trying to get away from me." She leaned against the counter, facing towards Klaus.

He laughed. "And why would she want to do that?"

"I may have been asking her something that she didn't want to answer," she replied, guiltily.

"You?" He sarcastically asked, raising his eyebrows with a smirk in place.

"Ha, ha," she replied. Caroline turned and pulled the cake out of the oven. It looked good, but she had no idea how it was going to taste. "Well, that's the best I can do. Hopefully Rebekah will be happy with it."

"I'll taste it." Klaus reached his hand out to break a piece off, but Caroline slapped his hand away.

"No you won't! It's for tomorrow, and your sister will be mad at you." She laughed at the shocked expression on his face as she spun away from him so he couldn't reach the cake.

* * *

The next morning Caroline walked downstairs to find Rebekah back in the kitchen. She went straight to the cabinet to grab a mug for some coffee.

"Good morning, Rebekah. You got in late last night," Caroline remarked as she poured the hot contents into her cup.

"Morning, Caroline. Yes, I was out with some friends and I didn't get in until around one a.m." Rebekah was making side dishes for their dinner. It looked to Caroline like she was in the process of making some type of casserole. "I see you baked the cake. Thank you for that."

Caroline leaned against the counter and crossed one leg over the other. "Yes, I hope it tastes alright. Your brother tried to taste it, but I wouldn't let him."

"I'm guessing you mean Nik? He has a knack for taste testing every dish to see if it's up to his standards." Rebekah rolled her eyes.

Caroline laughed at the response and the blonde's expression. "Sounds like him." She sipped on her coffee. "Speaking of Nik, have you seen him this morning?"

"He went out with Elijah. They should be back soon." Rebekah placed the casserole pan into the oven, and then turned back to the counter to begin on another dish.

Caroline was surprised that he had not woken her up or at least left her a note. She almost laughed at herself when she realized how dependent on him she was getting. She was used to spending all of her time with him, and if he left the loft for some reason, he would leave her a note and vice versa. She shook her head. Klaus didn't have to report in every time he went somewhere.

"Do you need any help?" Caroline asked, and soon regretted it.

When Klaus and Elijah walked into the kitchen, they were greeted by two blondes covered in ingredients. The two men silently laughed as they sat back and watched the two women go about their cooking before making themselves known.

"I cannot get this stupid gravy to work! Why do we have to have gravy again?" Rebekah snapped at Caroline.

Caroline exhaled loudly. "I don't know, Rebekah. It adds more flavor." She walked over to Rebekah and looked down into the pot on the stove. "What's wrong with it?"

Rebekah dipped the spoon into it and pulled it up, letting the gravy run off like water. "It's way too thin."

"Maybe we should add some flour to it," Caroline decided, and went to grab the package that was sitting on the other end of the counter.

The package had not been opened yet, and Caroline didn't attempt to open it until she was beside Rebekah. However, when she tried to make a small hole, she ended up ripping a large chunk out of the paper, causing flour to fly all over the two and the floor. The two men couldn't hold it any longer, and they both doubled over in laughter at the sight in front of them.

"Stupid flour!" Caroline slammed it down on the closest space she could find before turning to see who was at the door.

"I'm glad you two think it's funny. We've been working our tails off to get dinner for you, and where have you been?" Rebekah barked at her brothers.

"We had things we had to take care of," Klaus responded as he made his way over to Caroline, who was trying to wipe some of the flour from her face. "I believe the ingredients are supposed to go _in _the dish, sweetheart," he chuckled.

She playfully slapped him across the chest. "You're not funny."

Klaus helped her get most of the flour off her face and out of her hair before leaning down and planting a sweet kiss on her lips. "Good morning, love."

Caroline wanted to wrap her arms around him and pull him close again, but his brother and sister were still in the room. So she settled for a smile and a simple, "good morning."

"Get a room you two," Kol joined the crowd still standing in the kitchen.

Rebekah turned towards her youngest brother with her hand on her hip. "And where have you been?"

He shrugged. "I was asleep upstairs. What's the problem?"

"What's the problem?!" Rebekah asked, incredulously. She had flour all over the front of her shirt. "We could have used some help." She gestured towards the ingredients that were strewn across the counter top.

"Well, if Caroline and Niklaus would stop making out, maybe you could get them to help. I'm sure they are much better cooks than I am." He smiled at them all before leaving the room and making his way back up the stairs.

"What do you need help with, sister?" Klaus asked.

Rebekah soon put them all to work except for Kol, but they all decided that they would work much better without the young jokester hanging around anyway.

That night, dinner went well. The food was all delicious, mainly because of Klaus and Elijah. Sheriff Forbes made it on time, and Caroline was overjoyed with her presence. The shock of the entire night, however, was when Matt showed up at the door. Caroline immediately thought he was there to talk to her, but was surprised when he explained that Rebekah had invited him. He didn't really have anyone to spend the holiday with, and Caroline instantly felt guilty that she hadn't remembered. Even with the tension between Klaus and Matt, the night went smoothly.

After her mom left, Caroline began to help Rebekah and Matt clear off the table. It wasn't long before Klaus was joining in, not liking that Matt was around either of the girls.

"Why is he here?" He whispered to Caroline.

She shrugged. "I don't know, Nik, but it's not a big deal. He needed someone to spend the holidays with."

"Couldn't he have found someone else? Like maybe his best friend, Tyler?" Klaus' eyes were on the interaction happening between Matt and Rebekah.

"Can we please not talk about Tyler?" Caroline walked away from him, taking a couple of plates to Rebekah, who was washing them and then sending them to Matt to dry.

"Hey, Care, do you think we could maybe talk?" Matt turned to his old friend.

Caroline smiled and nodded. "Sure, Matt. Nik can help Rebekah."

Klaus blocked her path as she was trying to leave. He didn't have to say anything. She could see the disapproval on his face.

"Nik, please move." She gave him a look that let him know they would talk about it later.

He glanced at Matt, almost as if he was giving him a warning, before stepping out of the doorway.

Caroline led Matt into the study so they could be alone. She took a seat in what she knew was Klaus' chair. "What's up?"

"I know that we cleared everything up on the phone before you left for New York, but I wanted to make sure we were okay in person." Matt took the seat across from her.

She smiled. "We are okay, Matt. You and Nik on the other hand?" She laughed.

He also found humor in her statement. "Yeah, I don't think he likes me very much. But I think I was wrong about him, Care. I saw him go after Tyler, and it was scary, but I realized that he was just doing that to protect you. Maybe he's not so bad after all."

"I'm glad you see that," her smile was still in place. "I'm happy with him, Matt. I needed someone like him after Tyler."

Matt nodded. "I understand."

"Now, what's going on with you and Rebekah?" Caroline asked.

Matt shrugged. "I like her, and I think she likes me. We are just taking it slow."

Caroline's eyebrows shot up. "So you two have been dating?"

"For a little while," he admitted.

She hugged him. "That's great, Matt. She's a great girl, and I think you two would be perfect together."

"Thanks, Care."

There was a knock on the door, and then Klaus' voice came from the other side. "Caroline?"

She rolled her eyes. "We better go out there before he knocks the door down." She stood, and led Matt out of the study. She almost ran into Klaus he was standing so close to the door. "What?"

"I'm about to go out, and I wanted to let you know," he told her, but his eyes didn't fail to glance towards Matt.

Caroline's brow puckered. "Where are you going this late?"

"I just have some errands to run," he told her, stepping away.

"Didn't you just do that this morning?" She began following him. "Can I go with you?" She was confused. He was acting too weird around her lately.

"Elijah will go with me. You just stay in tonight and relax. I'll see you in the morning," he told her before placing another quick kiss on her open mouth. "I love you," he called back before disappearing out of the house.

When Caroline got over the surprise, she marched into the living room. "Rebekah?"

The blonde looked up from the book she was reading. "Yes?"

"What is going on?" Caroline demanded. "Something isn't right. Your brother does not leave me alone this much, and he's never this secretive."

Rebekah fought the urge to roll her eyes. "Caroline, you are not alone. Matt, Kol, and I are here. Besides, I don't know what he's doing."

Caroline groaned. "I don't believe you, but whatever. I'm going to bed."

"Caroline, wait." Rebekah called, but it was too late. Caroline was already making her way up the stairs.

Caroline heard Klaus come in later that night, and she had to fight the temptation of going up to him and demanding that he tell her where he had been. Instead, she pretended she was asleep when he opened her bedroom door. She wasn't in the mood to talk to him, which bummed her out even more since it was the night before Christmas. Still, she didn't want to go to sleep angry, so she finally climbed out of bed and tiptoed next door to his room.

"Nik?" She whispered into the dark room. She heard a rustling of the covers before a voice.

"Caroline? Are you alright?" Klaus quickly sat up and turned on his bedside lamp.

"Yes, I'm fine," she told him before climbing in beside him and pulling the blankets over herself. "I just wanted to talk to you."

"What about?" He pulled her against his bare chest.

"Why are you being so secretive lately? Are we okay? Did I do something to make you mad?" She had to look up to meet his gaze.

"You didn't do anything, love. I'm not mad at all. I'm so happy with you," he kissed her forehead before continuing. "As for the secrets, you'll see soon enough. I promise. Just trust me, alright?"

She nodded into his chest. She was relieved that they were going to be okay. When he realized that she was finished with her questions, he turned out the light and pulled her down beside him. She fell asleep in his embrace, breathing in his familiar scent.

* * *

Christmas morning Rebekah came running in to Klaus' room. "Oh good, you're both in here. Wake up! It's time to open presents!" She ran out of the room, so she could wake up her other brothers.

"How old is she again?" Caroline whined.

Klaus laughed. "You know, she's right."

"About what? Opening presents?" Caroline was rubbing her eyes, trying to get them to focus.

"About this being the best Christmas that we've ever had, at least so far."

She smiled. "I'm glad. So far, it's mine too," she leaned across the bed and kissed him quickly before getting up.

After Rebekah had gotten everyone out of bed, the group sat around the living room, while the only female Mikaelson handed out the presents.

Caroline received a really pretty blue dress from Rebekah, who claimed that Klaus was going to love it on her. Elijah had given her a gift card, explaining that he had no idea what she might want. She laughed and assured him that it was a perfect gift. And Kol had decided to be funny and give everyone a ticket that could be cashed in for "A Day Free of Sarcasm." It would probably have been a great gift, if any of them had believed he was capable of accomplishing such a task.

Caroline was excited for Klaus to open his gift from her. A part of her, though, wondered if he was going to like it. He lifted the lid off of the box to reveal a scrapbook. On the top of the book, their names were embroidered with the date of the concert, the date of their first kiss. As he began flipping through the pages, there were pictures from when they were just "friends," and pictures of him laughing with his family. Then, there was the ticket from the concert they went to, along with more pictures, napkins, anything that Caroline could pick up from the places they had been together. What made the book even more personal was that Caroline wrote something to him on each page, whether it was about her feelings in that moment or the memories that stood out to her most from those days. She saw the smile grow on Klaus' face as he took in picture after picture, memory after memory.

"I noticed a long time ago that you didn't have pictures up in your room, so I figured you didn't have many. I wanted to change that. I want you to be able to look back and remember every date that we have been on, and now you can know how I was feeling too. I'd just rather you didn't read anything out loud in here," she told him. Everyone else was too engrossed in their own gifts to know what the two were talking about.

"I love it, sweetheart." He kissed her slowly. "Thank you."

"I'm so happy that you like it." She smiled at him. "And we will continue to add to it."

"Now, for your gift." He stood up and held out his hand to her. "We have to go somewhere."

"Oh, really?" She asked, intrigued. "And where might that be?"

"You'll see," He smiled, linked their fingers, and then led her to his car.

A little while later, Klaus parked in a familiar spot. Caroline followed him out onto the beach where they had shared their first date. She could tell that he had rented the area out again due to the lack of people. However, this time there were rose petals scattered across the sand, and twinkling lights strategically placed on everything they could be attached to.

"What's all this?" She gestured towards the beautiful decorations.

"Caroline," he took her hands in his. "I love you more than words can describe. I never thought I would feel this way about anyone, and I never thought anyone could love me like you do. You are the reason that I am learning to believe in myself again. You are the reason why I cannot wait to get up each morning. I don't know what I would ever do without you, and I don't want to find out. So with that being said...," he got down on one knee. "Caroline Forbes, would you please do me the honor of becoming Mrs. Caroline Mikaelson."

Tears immediately filled Caroline's eyes. "Yes, yes, of course!" She didn't care about seeing the ring in that moment. She dropped to her knees, so she was level with him, and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling his mouth to hers.

He, on the other hand, couldn't wait to show Caroline the ring, so he pulled away and opened the box. Inside laid a silver vintage princess cut ring with beautiful details all along the band. There was a large diamond ring in the center with a smaller one on each side. "This ring has been in my family for many years. Yesterday, I had to drop it off so it could be resized, which is why I couldn't tell you what I was doing. I hope you like it. If not, I'll take you to pick out any ring you'd like."

"I want this ring. It's beautiful!" Caroline held her left hand out so he could slip the ring onto her finger, where it would remain for the rest of their lives.

**PLEASE READ::::**

**This is the last chapter, but I am going to do an epilogue. Would you guys rather read an epilogue about their lives in like 5 or 10 years, or would you rather read about the wedding? Let me know!**

**Again, thank you all for continuing to read, review, and favorite this story! I probably wouldn't have made it here without you guys! :)**


	21. Epilogue

**Hello my lovely readers! Thank you all so much for staying with me throughout this journey. Thank you to everyone who continued to follow, review, and favorite this story. **

**So at the end of the last chapter, I asked you all what you wanted to read for the epilogue, and 5-10 years was requested most. I decided to go with 5, and I hope you are all pleased with this epilogue. I don't have any plans for a new fic as of right now, but I think I'm going to take at least a small break. Feel free to PM me if you have any requests, or maybe you just want to fangirl :) Anyway…. Let's get started.**

**Happy Reading…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own TVD or any of its characters…**

* * *

**5 years later**

Caroline was sitting in the floor of the newly decorated room, growing more and more overwhelmed the longer she looked around.

"Caroline?" A female voice broke through Caroline's thoughts.

"I'm in here," Caroline called back.

Rebekah appeared in the doorway in a matter of a seconds. "What are you doing?"

"I have so much to do before the baby gets here and not enough time to do it all." The blonde looked as if she were about to cry.

Rebekah took a seat beside her sister-in-law. "Everything is ready, Caroline. You're just nervous, that's all."

Caroline sighed. "Then why do I feel like something's not right?" She looked around the room again trying to figure out what was missing.

Klaus and Caroline had moved back to Mystic Falls not long after they found out she was pregnant. They both agreed that they wanted their child to grow up around their friends and family, so they moved back into the mansion. The nursery room had been painted to look as if it was underwater. Caroline and Klaus had agreed that the theme had significance to each of them: Caroline loved going to the beach when she was a child, they had their first date on the beach, and Klaus proposed to her on the beach. It seemed only fitting for their little boy to have a beach themed room.

"You know what? I think I made a list," Caroline stated as she struggled to get off the floor.

_Of course you did_, Rebekah murmured to herself.

"What?" The extremely pregnant blonde turned to the other.

"Nothing," Rebekah said, almost too quickly.

Caroline narrowed her eyes. "If you're going to be rude, just leave!"

Caroline was in her final month, and she was very moody. Everyone seemed to be walking on eggshells around her, never sure what might set her off. And being in a house with Kol and Rebekah had her extra crabby.

"I'm not trying to be rude, Caroline," Rebekah stood up, ready to help.

"You could have fooled me!" Caroline snapped.

"What is going on in here?" Klaus entered the room.

Instead of answering his question, Rebekah just shrugged and started to leave the room. "I'll see you tomorrow for the baby shower, Caroline. Good night." She disappeared.

Caroline sighed again. "Am I that hard to be around?"

Klaus laughed and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. "Only sometimes."

"I can't help it! I just want to have this baby, but I'm scared." Her voice was muffled by his chest. "Aren't you nervous at all?"

"Of course I'm nervous, sweetheart, but we can do this. Besides, we have plenty of friends and family that will be willing to help out." He comforted her.

She enjoyed just being in his embrace. Since being back in Mystic Falls, Caroline had decided not to go back to work. Klaus, however, had found a local gallery which was keeping him fairly busy. So Caroline soaked up as much time with him as she could, and he didn't seem to mind one bit.

"Why don't we go to bed? I know you must be tired," Klaus suggested.

Truth was, if Caroline went to bed just because she was tired now a days, she would never get out of bed. "You go ahead. I'll be there in a minute," she told him.

"Alright, then. Goodnight sweetheart." He gently kissed her, almost as if he were scared she might break. "I love you and our little one."

She smiled and placed a hand on her bulging stomach. "We love you too."

After Klaus left, Caroline began going over her checklist again. However, it wasn't long before she had another visitor.

"You're still up, Caroline?" Elijah's voice pierced the silence. He had chosen to remain in Mystic Falls instead of returning to Europe. He found that being with his siblings in that small town was much nicer than being with only Finn.

Caroline turned so she could see him, but looked at her watch in the process. It was after eleven. "Yeah, I didn't realize it was so late. I'm just double checking things in here since the baby could come any day now."

Elijah nodded. "I would guess that you're ready to meet him."

"Yes and no. I'm excited, but I'm worried that I won't be a good mother," she admitted.

"Oh, Caroline," Elijah shook his head. "You and my brother must get over your worries."

Caroline's brow furrowed. "What's Nik worried about?"

"He's afraid that he won't be the father that he needs to be. He says it's because he didn't have the best role model growing up."

"What? That's crazy. He shouldn't be worried. He will be a wonderful father," Caroline replied, and she believed every word of her statement.

"Of course he will, and you will be a wonderful mother. That is why you should both put aside the worry and be excited." Elijah's expression stayed serious through the whole conversation.

"Thank you, Elijah," Caroline's smile reappeared.

"No need to thank me. I just speak the truth," he cracked a small smile in return. "Goodnight, Caroline."

Caroline called goodnight after him, and then finished checking her list. When she got to the end and everything was checked off, she decided that it was time for her to get some sleep. Besides, everyone else was already in bed so there was nothing else to do.

Caroline slowly opened the bedroom door and closed it gently after entering, trying to be as quiet as possible so she wouldn't wake Klaus up.

"I'm still awake, love. You don't have to be so quiet." His voice entered the darkness.

After Caroline changed into her pajamas and climbed into bed next to him, she couldn't get what Elijah had told her out of her mind. She didn't want Klaus to be worried about being like his father. From what she heard, he was nothing like him. However, she knew he still struggled with his past.

"Nik?" She whispered, not sure if he had fallen asleep yet.

"Hmm?"

"Can I tell you something?" She was still whispering. Why? She didn't know, except she felt like she had to approach the subject carefully.

The bed creaked as Klaus turned towards the blonde beside him. He could barely make out the outline of her body in the dark, but he knew that they were facing each other. "Of course, sweetheart. You know you can tell me anything."

"You're going to be a wonderful father. Just because your father treated you badly, that doesn't mean you are going to be anything like him. You are kind and gentle, even if that's only a side you show to me, and I know you will be the same way with this little one. Don't ever doubt that, okay?" Caroline felt him stiffen beside her, and she waited for a response.

There were no words that could express how Klaus felt in that moment, so instead of replying, he found Caroline's hand in the dark, brought it to his lips and kissed it. When he relaxed, he felt her relax, and he pulled her close to his body so she could fall asleep in his arms.

* * *

The next morning, Klaus woke up before Caroline. He looked over at her sleeping form beside him and was in awe. He had those moments frequently when he couldn't believe such a warm, loving person was his. For the past nine months, his disbelief grew even more as he watched her stomach grow because of the life inside of her, the life that he helped create. In response to his thoughts, his hand moved to her stomach, which caused her to stir.

Caroline had been sleeping very lightly for the past few weeks. Any little sound or movement would wake her. So when she felt Klaus' hand rest on her stomach, she woke up. She reached her hand up to rest on top of his, holding his in place.

"Good morning," she smiled as she tried to open her eyes.

"Good morning, sweetheart. How did you sleep?" Because the sound of his voice was both familiar and deeper than Caroline's, the baby began to move.

Caroline's smile grew larger. "Did you feel that?"

Klaus's smile matched hers as he began rubbing her stomach gently. "Yes, I did." The baby began to squirm again.

"He obviously doesn't want to be left out. He wants to tell his daddy good morning."

The word daddy both scared and sparked excitement inside of Klaus. He didn't know if he would ever get used to hearing that word, especially when it referred to him. He leaned down close to her stomach.

"Good morning to you too, son," he stated before laying a soft kiss on the fabric covering Caroline's skin.

Caroline understood in those moments what the quote meant that stated "I never knew how much I loved your father until I saw how much he loved you." She could see the love in Klaus' eyes every time he laid a hand on her stomach or talked to their unborn child, and it caused her love for him to grow, even though she didn't think that was possible.

However, as expected, their moment alone was soon interrupted. They were back in the mansion after all. Rebekah busted through their bedroom door, dressed and ready to get the day started.

"Okay love birds, it's time to get up. Caroline and I have a busy day ahead of us, and you, brother, need to go find out what you men are going to do while we're busy." Rebekah stood at the end of the bed with her hands on her hips.

"I don't see why we have to leave," Klaus replied, knowing it was just going to frustrate his sister.

Rebekah huffed. "This baby shower is for girls only. You can only show up for the end. That's just the rules, now go." She shooed her brother from the bed.

Klaus rolled his eyes, a habit he picked up from both Caroline and his sister. "Whatever you say, dear sister." He leaned over to give Caroline a sweet kiss before leaving the room.

"I didn't think I had to do anything for this shower." Caroline was still laying down. "Aren't my friends supposed to be the ones throwing it for me?"

"Yes, Caroline, but they will be here soon to set up. Do you want to be in bed when they get here?" Rebekah asked, exasperated.

"Honestly? Yes, I would love to stay in bed."

Rebekah groaned and threw her arms in the air, letting them fall back against her legs with a slap. "Whatever, Caroline." She stormed out of the room before Caroline could figure out if she wanted to apologize or just let her sister in law leave.

Klaus came back in the room with a smirk in place. "I'm guessing that my sister's attempts at getting you out of bed failed." He walked over and took a seat on the bed beside Caroline. He tucked a stray curl behind her ear.

"I'm so tired today. My whole body feels swollen. I wish the baby shower could be postponed," Caroline whined. Klaus was the only one who would listen to her complain without getting angry or annoyed.

He shrugged. "Ask them to change it."

"I can't. They've put too much effort into it. Besides, who knows how long I have until the baby is born." She wanted to snuggle back into her pillow and pull him down with her, but she knew that Rebekah's feelings would be hurt if she didn't come downstairs. She took in a deep breath and then stretched her arms towards Klaus. "Okay, help me up."

He grabbed her hands and helped her steady herself before letting go. Both could see how much her stomach had dropped just from yesterday. Caroline's hands went to her middle as if she was trying to confirm what they both saw.

"Are you alright?" Klaus became worried when she continued to stand motionlessly.

Caroline snapped out of her thoughts. "Yeah, I'm fine," she smiled. "I better go get ready."

* * *

Elena, Bonnie, Sheriff Forbes, Rebekah, and a few more of Caroline's friends showed up for the baby shower. The men had decided to go out and find something to occupy them until they were allowed to come back to the mansion. The girls had planned for a few typical baby games to be played throughout the day. Then, Caroline began opening gifts.

Elena and Damon had went in together and bought Caroline a stroller. Bonnie and Jeremy had bought the matching car seat. Her other friends bought some clothes and diapers, but it was Sheriff Forbes' and Rebekah's gifts that meant the most.

Sheriff Forbes gave Caroline a baby blue blanket. She told Caroline that it was the first blanket that she and Caroline's dad ever bought for Caroline. Then, they all had a laugh when Sheriff Forbes admitted that they were convinced Caroline was going to be a boy. Caroline was surprised because she never thought her mom had kept her baby things, so the present was extra special, and tears quickly filled her eyes.

Then, she opened Rebekah's gift. She explained that the tiny blue outfit inside belonged to Klaus when he was a baby. She told Caroline that Klaus probably didn't even know the outfit existed, but that she had found it when she was going through their parents' things after they passed away. Their mother must have saved an outfit that each of them had worn. Caroline couldn't wait to show Klaus. She knew that it would give him some comfort knowing that his mother kept it after all those years.

Caroline twisted in her chair to give Rebekah a hug when a pain shot through her abdomen. She hunched over, grabbed her stomach, and winced in pain.

"Are you alright, Caroline?" Rebekah immediately shot out of her chair and crouched in front of Caroline's chair. Everyone else was standing up now too.

Caroline nodded, but her forehead was covered in sweat. "Yeah, it was just a little, ah." She hunched over again as the pain struck. She was trying to take in deep breaths.

"Somebody call Nik," Rebekah turned to look at the guests.

"Damon told me they were on their way about ten minutes ago," Elena responded.

Rebekah turned back to Caroline. "What do you need Caroline?"

Caroline shook her head, but her face still gave it away that she was in pain.

"Do we need to go to the hospital?"

Caroline shook her head again. "Where's Nik?" That was what, or who, she needed.

"He should be here soon, Care," Bonnie crouched down beside the blonde's chair.

Not a minute later, the girls heard the front door open and the guys' voices booming through the house. All of them were there: Klaus, Elijah, Kol, Damon, Jeremy, and Matt. Matt and Rebekah had been serious for a long time, and everyone was expecting an engagement at any time. Bonnie and Jeremy had already made it down the aisle, and Damon and Elena were on their way.

When the guys entered the room, all of them froze at the scene in front of them except for Klaus, who rushed to Caroline's side.

"What's wrong? What's going on?" The panic was clear on his face.

"She's been having some sharp pains," Rebekah explained before moving over so he could take her place.

"Caroline, sweetheart, do you need to go to the hospital?" He cradled her face in his hands as he spoke to her.

"No," she winced in pain. "I just need to go lie down. Can you help me get upstairs?"

"Are you sure?" The panic was still there.

Caroline nodded, so he helped lift her out of the chair. She didn't make it two steps when her water broke.

"Rebekah, get the two suitcases that are by the door and bring them to the hospital," Klaus quickly switched directions. "The baby is ready to meet you, love," he whispered into Caroline's ear as he began to lead her out to the car.

"Bring the gift you got me too, Rebekah," she quickly called over her shoulder.

* * *

Three hours later, the newest Mikaelson was brought into the world. When they placed him in Caroline's arms, her heart melted. She had never seen anything so perfect in her life, and Klaus felt the same way the moment his eyes landed on his son. Klaus leaned down to place a kiss on the top of Caroline's head before leaning down and doing the same to the little bundle of joy.

"He's beautiful, isn't he?" Caroline whispered.

"He is," Klaus agreed.

Caroline already saw so much of Klaus in the baby. He had Klaus's nose and mouth and his wavy hair. They would later learn that he had Caroline's eyes and warm personality, which made Klaus extremely happy.

When they let the visitors come in, Caroline almost started crying because Bonnie, Elena, and Rebekah all had tears in their eyes.

"Okay, we've been waiting long enough," Rebekah was holding the baby in her arms, not able to tear her eyes away from him. "What's his name?"

Caroline and Klaus looked at each other. "Go ahead," Klaus smiled.

"Henrik, Henry for short," Caroline announced.

Everyone gushed over how perfect the name was, and how perfect the owner of the name was until a nurse finally made them all leave so Caroline, Klaus, and Henrik could get some rest.

"I'm so tired," Caroline laid against her pillow and closed her eyes.

Klaus was standing next to the baby bed, watching Henrik sleep. "Go to sleep, sweetheart. I'll watch him."

"Are you sure?" Caroline felt bad leaving Klaus on his own, but she was exhausted.

"I'm positive," Klaus promised, so Caroline took his word for it.

She watched him watch Henrik until sleep overtook her. She fell asleep with a smile on her lips.

Within a couple of days, Caroline was being released. They were just waiting for all the paper work to go through so they could leave. As they were getting ready, Klaus opened the suitcase to find Henrik's going home outfit. Before putting a onesie on the baby, he turned to Caroline to make sure it was the right one.

"Wait, he has a new outfit," she told him as she made her way over to the bag Rebekah left on the table in their room. She pulled it out of the bag and showed it to Klaus.

His brow furrowed. "That doesn't look very new. Where did you get it?"

Caroline walked over to him before she began explaining anything. "Your sister gave this to me at my baby shower. You've never seen it before?" She held it up again.

He shook his head. "Should I remember it?"

"Well, it was yours." She waited for his reaction.

"Mine?" His eyes widened, and he shook his head. "That couldn't have been mine. My parents never kept anything of mine."

"Nik, it was yours. Rebekah wouldn't have given it to me or told me that it was yours if she wasn't a hundred percent sure. Your mom loved you, even if it didn't always seem like it." She held out the tiny blue onesie with shorts. "This is Henrik's going home outfit."

Klaus looked too stunned for words. His eyes looked like they were filling with tears, and Caroline knew that everything that had been going on in his life for the past few days was starting to overwhelm him, but in a good way. She wrapped her arms around him as soon as she saw his expression. He buried his face in her hair as one single tear fell from his eyes.

"Thank you," he whispered into her ear. "For this outfit, for loving me, for Henrik, for everything."

Caroline pulled away from his body so she could kiss him. She felt his need for her in the way his mouth moved against hers. "Thank you for giving me just as much," she smiled.

* * *

As they made their way up the sidewalk to the mansion, the door swung open. Elijah, Kol, Rebekah, Bonnie, Elena, Sheriff Forbes, Matt, Jeremy, and Damon all stepped out onto the porch.

Caroline and Klaus both stopped in their tracks and looked at the scene in front of them. Then, Caroline shifted so the baby in her arms was facing the same scene they were.

"Welcome home," she told Henrik. Then, she looked up at Klaus and smiled before stating, "let the new memories begin."

**Well… we made it to the end. Thank you all again! Also, I decided on Henrik because of Klaus' younger brother, whom I haven't mentioned in this story. I'm sure you all figured that out though :) THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! **


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